Trucks Deliver… Sustainability
Today the American Trucking Associations unveiled an ambitious new Sustainability Program designed to lower CO2 emissions and save millions of gallons of diesel fuel. Announced at a press conference in Washington, D.C., by ATA President and CEO Bill Graves, the new program consists of six major initiatives that could revolutionize the trucking industry and the country’s transportation system. The six items, developed by a 25-member Sustainability Task Force led by Tommy Hodges, Chairman, Titan Transfer, Inc., are:
One: The American Trucking Associations recommends enacting a new national speed limit of 65 mph for all vehicles, and setting speed governors on new trucks at no more than 68 mph.
Two: The American Trucking Associations recommends pursuing a federal solution that reduces non-discretionary idling through highway infrastructure improvements and reduces discretionary idling through incentives for new technology.
Three: The American Trucking Associations recommends that shippers and carriers join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay(SM) Transport Partnership Program in order to achieve greater national gains in fuel efficiency and carbon reduction.
Four: The American Trucking Associations advocates initiatives to improve highway infrastructure and reduce congestion.
Five: The American Trucking Associations recommends introducing truck fleet combination changes as ways to reduce emissions, relieve congestion and conserve fuel.
Six: The American Trucking Associations supports setting technologically feasible national fuel economy standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks that reduce fuel consumption if they do not compromise the performance of the vehicles.
The program, referred to as “Trucks Deliver a Cleaner Tomorrow,” is an aggressive effort, and it includes some very specific, and very interesting, proposals. We’ll be writing a lot more about this program over time, but for now we want to get your initial impressions of these six proposals. Will they help? Will they hurt? Are you already doing some of these things? Let us know!
May 16th, 2008 at 6:22 am
I agree with the six proposals listed above and would like to make two more suggestions. 1. Increase the road weight limits to allow more product to be shipped on fewer trucks using less fuel. 2. Require light truck and auto makers to provide a method of governing lighter vehicles. We are a trucking company with a significant number of pick up trucks and autos on the road and would like to be able to control their speed (and fuel use) as well.