14 Things You Probably Never Considered About Making Trucks More Efficient

Denver, CO, RMI's Transformational Trucking Charrette: After three days' discussion by trucking suppliers, OEMs, drivers, and industry experts, the technological potential for drastic trucking efficiency gains-as well as the complexity of the barriers preventing their adoption-has never been clearer.

The list below details some essential and perhaps counterintuitive facts on advancing heavy-duty trucking efficiency.

1. Heavy trucks' mileage per gallon actually decreased in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Heavy trucking is responsible for 18 percent of the transportation sector's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is the single fastest-growing source of transportation emissions.

2. How you measure efficiency is critical. Trucks with low fuel consumption do not necessarily have the best efficiency, defined as carrying goods for the least amount of energy. The best metrics are ton-miles per gallon of fuel or volume-miles per gallon of fuel.

3. Drastic efficiency gains are possible. A 2008 paper published by RMI found a factor of 2.3 to 2.7 gains in efficiency (ton-miles/gallon) can be achieved with technologies like auxiliary power units, more efficient wide-base tires, and improved aerodynamic mechanisms, such as trailer side skirts.

Yet, as RMI's chief scientist Amory Lovins made clear, even more can be done. The analysis referenced above did not account for gains from hybrid powertrains, reducing overnight idling, regenerative braking, or new and efficient engines.

4. Easy solutions often yield the greatest gains. Efficiency can be vastly improved by increasing the weight limits and length of trucks as well as reducing vehicle speed.

5. Long combination vehicle safety testing (LCVs are trucks that have two or three trailers) shows they are safer than their single-trailer counterparts. Much of this can be explained by considering a truck driver's risk threshold-a driver is less likely to drive recklessly in a three-trailer vehicle than a two- or single-trailer vehicle.

6. Technologies for efficiency exist. Getting them to the marketplace is the challenge. Even if a new technology has proved it can save a lot of fuel, fleet owners need to know the new part is reliable. A new wide-base single tire might be available in Seattle, but not Chicago, and in spite of its availability, a mechanic might not know how to install it. This makes new fuel-efficient technologies hard to bring to market. Imagine training and supplying the entire country for every new technology.

7. Focusing on vehicle mileage alone is not enough. We also need to increase the structural integrity of bridges so they can accommodate heavier trucks, reduce the number of empty or partly empty backhauls, and improve overall logistics.

8. Simply cutting speeds from 65 to 60 mph can save 8 percent of a truck's fuel.

9. Walmart is in the process of doubling the efficiency of its 7,200-tractor heavy-truck fleet and is estimating $350 million in fuel savings per year as a result. However, it's much easier for Walmart to become efficient because the company owns its own fleet, and is responsible for the fuel bills.

10. Inconsistent policies make life extremely difficult for the trucking industry. Size, weight, and idling regulations differ between states and often between cities and counties.

11. The trucking industry operates on small profit margins and is incredibly fragmented. Components are often custom-built, making standardization and new technology adoption particularly difficult.

12. Truck policies and regulations create competing priorities. Class-7 and -8 long-haul trucks emit only a fraction of the SOx, NOx, and particulate matter than they emitted ten years ago. However, this incredible achievement comes with a lost opportunity cost. While filters and catalyst technology ran up equipment budgets-one participant estimated it takes $30,000 to comply with California's clean air policies-trucks continue to burn the same amount of fuel. Policy has put emissions and efficiency at odds with each other.

13. Some great solutions already exist. Cascade Sierra Solutions, a robust non-profit working in Oregon, California, and Texas, offers long-haul operators financing and information on efficient truck retrofits.

14. These government programs, while not comprehensive, are worth checking out: Calstart's Heavy Truck User's Forum and the 21st Century Trucking Partnership.

The challenge cannot be overstated, but the convergence of a difficult economy, energy security concerns, and climate change risks create a perfect opportunity to transform the trucking industry today. In the words of Amory Lovins, "We are the people we have been waiting for."

More to come...

Maria Stamas, RMI