WASHINGTON, DC, March 12, 2015 (ENS) – When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announce a new heavy-duty truck fuel efficiency standard this spring, they should require new trucks to reduce their fuel use by at least 40 percent, recommends a study by the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists published Wednesday.
The study indicates the 40 percent target is achievable with existing technology and would result in billions of dollars in fuel cost savings.
“Engines for Change,” calculates that if today’s trucks met a 40 percent fuel reducation standard, oil use would be reduced by nine billion gallons from the shipping of goods.
This would save truckers $30 billion in fuel costs and cutting more than 110 million tons of CO2 emissions.
“Heavy duty trucks make up only seven percent of the vehicles on the road, but they use a quarter of the fuel, and they’re integrated into every aspect of our economy,” said Michelle Robinson, director of the Clean Vehicles Program at Union of Concerned Scientists.
“Almost everything you buy, eat, wear or live in depends on trucks at some point in the process, so everything you buy comes with a side of oil.”
Today’s heavy duty trucks get around six miles to the gallon, a figure that has barely budged since the 1970s.
The freight fleet uses 21 billion gallons of fuel a year. Over half of that amount is used to move consumer goods, including 400,000 gallons to ship cell phones and 66 million gallons just for milk.
The UCS study looked at products and companies Americans interact with every day, showing the profound importance of trucking and the wide-ranging benefits of more efficient trucks.
Five of the country’s biggest trucking fleets, familiar brands that Americans interact with every day – FedEx, Walmart, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and UPS – could cut their fuel use by 500 million gallons a year under the new standards, saving $1.7 billion on fuel.
“The new standards should help protect consumers against future fuel price increases,” said Robinson. “We’ve all seen how gas price spikes affect the costs of everyday goods. This simple, doable step should help buffer against that trend.”
The report points out that the technology exists to make new trucks 40 percent more efficient compared to 2010 levels, in a cost-effective way.
“This is low-hanging fruit with huge potential,” said Dave Cooke, UCS vehicles analyst and report author. “A new fuel-efficient truck will be more cost-effective than a conventional truck after just 18 months.”
“Once the cost of the new technology is paid off, the average truck driver will save $30,000 a year on fuel,” Cooke said. “And a standard this strong will save America more oil every year than the entire annual production output of Alaska.”
“With the administration developing new fuel economy standards for trucks, we have a unique opportunity to reduce both the economic impacts of our oil consumption and the vehicle emissions that contribute to climate change,” Cooke said. “The benefits of higher standards will ripple through the economy.”
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