What’s Holding up Transformational Trucking?

The high upfront costs of new technology are a significant barrier to achieving drastically improved energy efficiency in American heavy trucks, according to experts attending Rocky Mountain Institute’s Transformational Trucking Charrette today in Denver, Colorado.

According to the group, other barriers include the fragmented standards for size and weight of heavy trucks, inconsistent state regulations, and the lack of an industry leader in fuel mileage.

The three-day charrette, or workshop, brings together experts from across the trucking industry, including representatives of manufacturers, suppliers, truck fleets, engineers, and other groups.

The participants began with the assumption that the heavy trucking industry can double the energy efficiency of existing fleets. With this premise established, although not universally agreed upon, the participants dove into a discussion of the barriers currently preventing the industry from meeting that goal.

The hurdles to improving energy efficiency are many and varied, according to this diverse group of industry experts.

For many participants, the most significant barrier to "transformational" change in the industry is what they see as its fragmented state. According to the group, fleet owners, managers, manufacturers, truck drivers, and engineers often work in silos, without the benefit of knowing what their colleagues in another section of the industry are working on.

One participant argued that tackling the risk-averse culture of fleet operators who are reluctant to change and try new technologies should be a priority for the group. According to Thilmont, "getting that mindset changed is probably the number one barrier." The inherent uncertainty of new technologies prevents trucking fleet owners from being "early adopters."

Another frequently mentioned barrier to efficiency is the fact that states have different regulations, standards, and metrics for the weight and size of trucks. Experts say that the state-by-state regulations limit potential efficiency gains.

Some efforts at improving the efficiency of trucks have been made. According to one participant, efficiency "is really on the minds of the fleets." Solutions that address the concerns of the entire chain of stakeholders, from truck drivers to environmentalists, will be discussed in the second day of the workshop.

Betsy Herzog, RMI