The American Trucking Associations (ATA) trade group says it is pleased with recently proposed federal fuel efficiency standards for medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks.
"The proposed standards will be phased in and will achieve from 7% to 20% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption from 2010 baseline Class 8 tractors," say ATA officials.
"These targets, which will be achieved from both engine and truck advancements, will largely employ off-the-shelf technologies such as low rolling resistance tires, improved aerodynamics, reduced idling and other measures currently recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) SmartWay program."
Glen Kedzie, the ATA's vice president, says the trucking industry as a whole "strongly supports fuel economy standards that are both economically and technologically feasible as one of several preferred methods in reducing its carbon footprint.
"We believe the regulations proposed by the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration can be attained through technologies currently available to motor carriers with expected returns on investment of between 12 to 24 months," he continues.
For more information about the recently announced standards, click here.
