The National Research Council of Canada has made public a new initiative called Fleet Forward 2020. This new program allows fleet managers to have access to innovative research and engineering services in order to ameliorate fuel efficiency, cut repair and maintenance costs, and reduce environmental impacts. This program is intended specifically for the Canadian transportation industry such as the transit sector, trucking ,and mining fleets and the defense equipment sector.

"If you look at the trucking industry, you have 120,000 tractors, give or take, and 200,000 trailers," declared Cristian Tabra, Fleet Forward 2020 program leader. "There are a lot of variables, but overall, in terms of cumulative benefits, we’re looking at about $450 million in total savings. That includes fuel consumption savings. That includes savings in repairs and maintenance as a result of applying various technologies—we’re talking about vehicle diagnostics and prognostics that, in our mind, will help reduce maintenance costs. Aerodynamic drag reduction devices will generate savings in fuel consumption, and so on." This example demonstrates how fleet managers will be able to make considerable savings through the use of this program.

In sum the program, offered by the National Research Council, may prove to be valuable for vehicle fleets in terms of fuel efficiency, reducing repair and maintenance costs, and environmental footprint. Fleet managers might see substantial savings from an operational point of view, and they may run much more efficiently as well.