Obama Sets Deadline for Trucks' Fuel-Efficiency Standards

[kscarbel]

Wall Street Journal / February 18, 2014

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama set a timeline Tuesday for his administration to issue new fuel-efficiency standards for freight trucks and tractor trailers.

The new, stricter standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles will be proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department by March 2015, he said. The agencies are then required to implement the standards by March 2016.

Mr. Obama cast the move as one that will reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and will help the economy. "Today America is closer to energy independence than we've been in decades," he said during an event at a Safeway distribution center in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He said that while heavy trucks account for 4% of the vehicles on U.S. highways, they account for about 20% of on-road fuel consumption.

The initiative builds on fuel efficiency and greenhouse-gas standards for trucks that the administration set in 2011. The White House projects the new standards will save the owners of the new trucks about $50 billion in fuel costs.

The American Trucking Associations urged the Obama administration to "proceed cautiously" with the new fuel-efficiency standards.

While the trade association supported the first round of fuel-efficiency standards implemented by the administration in 2011, ATA President Bill Graves said that any new proposal needs to be economically viable.

"Fuel is one of our industry's largest expenses, so it makes sense that as an industry we would support proposals to use less of it," Mr. Graves said in a statement. "However, we should make sure that new rules don't conflict with safety or other environmental regulations, nor should they force specific types of technology onto the market before they are fully tested and ready."

Expensive new rules could be a blow to a highly fragmented U.S. trucking industry, which comprises a number of smaller companies in addition to the big players. Already, the industry is struggling to manage new federal rules introduced this summer which limit driving hours to reduce chronic fatigue and related crashes. The $642 billion industry hauls nearly 70% of all domestic freight.

The new standards will build on those set by the administration in 2011, when it unveiled rules to lower carbon-dioxide emissions for large trucks by as much as 20% by 2018. At the time, it said there would be higher upfront costs in the form of more expensive vehicles, including an estimated $1,050 for work trucks and $6,220 for supercab tractors.

Mr. Obama first said in his State of the Union address last month that he would establish the new standards.

Tuesday's event was intended to showcase Mr. Obama's executive authority as he is struggling to pass initiatives through Congress.

[jaysm35a2]

Who the hell calls him Mr Obama lol

[hatcity]

Will be done by Executive Order

eff them in Congress

[jaysm35a2]

Amen, piss on anyone that may slow him down more than 1 sec.

I heard it was done at a Safeway Distb center, good job kissing the monkeys ass

[PeterMack]

Obama is a dip shit. More made up regulations to hamper the industry further. I like how he acts like these trucking companies

are out driving around gas guzzling sports cars for fun just to burn up fuel. The industry doesn't need MPG police. Trucks are not

like cars. If you lighten up a trucks empty weight it still has to haul 80,000lbs loaded. There is only so much you can do to make

a truck more efficient with the technology that is out there. Company's have been trying different things for years, fairings, different

tires, governing speeds and so on with some luck but at the end of the day it is still a huge vehicle that has to move a load up and

down mountains and other terrain in a timely manner. If any manufacturer made a truck that got 10 or 11 mpg's loaded they would

sell the sh*t out of them without any government help but that is not the case right now. Obama is such a freaking moron, his term

in office can't end fast enough!

[General Ike]

The man is an empty suit. His executive authority exists only if the people want it to. The unions that build these engines and trucks, who supported him twice, should take stock of their future ability to produce trucks that meet the standards under an untenable timeframe thus threatening their jobs. It's time for the left leaners to realize that this guy has done nothing to help them.

[kscarbel2]

The US and Europe are attempting to move too far and too fast with truck exhaust emissions.

Also, it’s time for the U.S. to join the entire rest of the world and use the Euro emissions standards.

If the entire world from tomorrow was Euro-3 (roughly EPA1998), we could all breath clean air.

Euro-3 is extremely clean. Compared to the trucks of the 1970s, Euro-3 is light years ahead. And yet, it is a reasonable balance of clean emissions, reliability and fuel economy. The Euro-3 engine's electronically-controlled high pressure common rail fuel injection system is a vast improvement of the old American and Robert Bosch in-line fuel pump, allowing for significantly reduced emissions.

EPA2007 and EPA2010 were/are an experiment at the expense of heavy truck operators.

In the interest of cooperation, I'd be willing to accept standardizing on Euro-4 emissions levels (roughly EPA2004), if accomplished with SCR, a reasonably reliable and trouble-free technology.

The decision to reach EPA2007 with heavy EGR was a costly mistake (experiment). It should have been accomplished with a combination of SCR and light EGR.

[kscarbel2]

UPDATED: Obama says next stage truck fuel efficiency standards will “save thousands”

Fleet Owner / February 18, 2014

President Obama today directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to come up with new “next stage” fuel efficiency for heavy- and medium-duty trucks by March 2105, calling such standards the key to “saving thousands of dollars every year” in reduced fuel costs for trucking companies larger and small.

“This is not just a ‘win-win’ but a ‘win-win-win’ – three wins – in terms of driving down oil imports for our nation, reducing carbon pollution, and saving money for both businesses and consumers,” the President said in a speech at Safeway grocery chain distribution center in Upper Marlboro, MD.

“In 2011 we set new fuel efficiency standards for trucks and in my state of the union speech three weeks ago I said we’d build up on that,” President Obama noted. “The goal off these new fuel economy standards is to take us into the next decade like cars … so trucks use less oil, save money, and reduce pollution.”

The new “post-2018” standards will go beyond mandates crafted by EPA and NHTSA back in 2011 that are being applied to model year 2014-2018 light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks. A fact sheet released by the administration ahead of the President’s speech explained that the two agencies are expected to issue Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the new “next-stage” fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) standards by March 2015, with a final rule to be issued by March 2016.

The administration added that EPA and NHTSA will also work closely with stakeholders, both large and small, to explore further opportunities for fuel consumption and emissions reductions beyond the model year 2018 time frame, as well as with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) with the goal of ensuring that the next phase of standards allow manufacturers to continue to build a single national fleet.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is reacting positively yet cautiously to the President’s latest effort to mandate fuel economy improvements for heavy- and medium-duty trucks.

“Fuel is one of our industry’s largest expenses, so it makes sense that as an industry we would support proposals to use less of it,” noted Bill Graves, ATA’s president and CEO, in a statement.

“However, we should make sure that new rules don’t conflict with safety or other environmental regulations, nor should they force specific types of technology onto the market before they are fully tested and ready.”

“Trucking is a very diverse industry,” stressed ATA Chairman Phil Byrd, president of Bulldog Hiway Express. “As such, whatever standards the administration sets should reflect that diversity and whatever tests are devised should accurately reflect what drivers face on the roads every day.”

By contrast, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) believes that fuel efficiency improvements for big trucks could save the average American household $250 dollars per year in the cost of consumer goods and services.

“We know that the fuel costs associated with shipping goods cross country heavily impact the price of everything from a carton of milk to a pair of shoes. Achievable standards that cut fuel use by nearly 5% would put $29.5 billion dollars back into the pockets of Americans,” said Mark Cooper, CFA’s director of research; a figure drawn from the group’s recent report Paying the Freight: The Consumer Benefits of Increasing the Fuel Economy of Medium and Heavy-Duty Trucks.

“Consumers also pay the cost of commercial transportation fuel in the price of the goods and services they buy,” Cooper added. “As such, reducing the energy consumption of big truck fleets will have a positive impact on household expenditures.”

The Heavy Duty Fuel Efficiency Leadership Group (HDFELG), an informal collection of fleets and other industry participants formed back in 2010, is also endorsing the President’s “next-stage” fuel efficiency rule plan.

“Finalizing new fuel efficiency standards for medium and heavy duty trucks will be an important milestone that should result in significant benefits to our economy, the trucking industry and the environment,” noted Douglas Stotlar, president and CEO of Con-way Inc. and HDFELG member.

“This collaborative approach will result in realistic, achievable goals and an effective regulatory framework to improve fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Dick Giromini, president and CEO of trailer-maker Wabash National Corp., added that for the first time, fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions rules will likely cover the “trailer” part of tractor-trailers, setting standards designed to ensure that trailers contribute to better fuel efficiency and cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

“We look forward to working with the EPA and the Department of Transportation, as well as our customers and industry partners, to achieve new standards that result in greater fuel efficiency and environmental benefits in the years ahead,” he said.

President Obama noted in his remarks that this latest effort to further improve heavy and medium-duty truck fuel efficiency is due to the “important economic role” performed by such vehicles.

“While heavy duty trucks account for just 4% of the vehicles on our highways – though I know when you are out there driving it feels like far more – they are responsible for 20% of our [vehicle] carbon pollution and 20% of one road fuel consumption,” he said. “Yet trucks carry over 70% of our nation’s freight – from flat screen TVs and diapers to fresh produce. So every mile per gallon better they get, that means thousands of savings every year for truckers and consumers.”

[mack mhe9]

Save money not really they will raise the fuel tax according to say they have to pay for the roads.

[41180]

kscarbel i agree if they went back to epa 98 it would increase mpg reliability . the price of trucks could go down and sales of new trucks would go up it would be a true economic stimulus. it will never happen though .

[1957B61Vt]

Yeah !

they will save so much fuel we won't be buying enough so they can raise the price more

They really need more pollution crap on them

I work on em everyday hardly keep them running now !

oops gotta wait for regen !

Be about a hour before I can get you the gravel to fix the road.

That irritates me when I run grader waiting on trucks .