UTRF innovation to make trucking industry more sustainable
The University of Tennessee Research Foundation recently executed its first exclusive license agreement for its first disclosure from the Haslam College of Business that has immense implications for the future of sustainable transportation. University of Tennessee researcher and assistant professor of supply chain management Alex Scott has developed a transportation sustainability index that seeks to curb transportation emissions.
Scott has spent his career working in and studying supply chain policy, transportation safety and market dynamics. Recently, he began focusing his research on sustainability efforts in the trucking industry and identified a major market gap. The transportation sector is a tremendous source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States; according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the industry emitted more CO2 than industrial, residential or commercial end-use sectors in 2021. Scott’s innovation rates the sustainability of transportation carriers on the road based on CO2 emissions and other types of pollutants.
“The culmination of this idea came from years of being in the industry and understanding it,” said Scott. “Unfortunately, there is no database that enables a buyer of transportation services to evaluate all carriers on the road and their sustainability levels. We are empowering the decision makers – buyers of transportation – to be able to select carriers based on how sustainable their trucks are.”
Scott’s innovation not only helps buyers of transportation services find greener transportation service providers but also rewards the sustainable carriers themselves.
“Let’s say you’re a buyer and you’re willing to pay a little bit more to a company who operates newer, cleaner trucks,” said Scott. “This database provides an incentive for these carriers to buy better trucks.”
The University of Tennessee Research Foundation recently executed an exclusive license agreement with a leading digital supply chain visibility provider for Scott’s technology. Scott is thankful for UTRF’s support because, as he explained, bringing innovations to market is a novel process for many researchers like himself.
“Hopefully we continue to build on that and have more licenses in the future,” said Scott. “UTRF was great about showing us how to commercialize this innovation and come to an agreement with the company. We didn’t have any experience in this area, so it’s a really great partnership.”
Looking ahead, Scott plans to work with the licensee to help it launch the product into the marketplace.
“It’s always wonderful to receive disclosures from a department or college we have not worked with before,” said UTRF Vice President Maha Krishnamurthy. “Alex’s technology is greatly needed to curb emissions and improve sustainability in the transportation industry. We look forward to watching his technology become widely adopted in the future and make a difference.”