American Trucking Association

For the past quarter century the trucking industry’s environmental efforts have focused on improving air quality, primarily by reducing particulates and nitrogen oxides. But concerns about climate change have driven the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and its member companies to address a new target – the industry’s carbon footprint.

Carbon dioxide is the primary component of greenhouse gases – gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. The United States produces almost a quarter of the world’s total emissions of greenhouse gases, and trucking is the fifth largest CO₂ emitter in the country, behind coal, passenger vehicles (including motorcycles and light duty trucks), natural gas power plants and oil-fired power plants.

Each of the six initiatives adopted by the ATA was selected for its potential to reduce CO₂ emissions. ATA’s new sustainability program will reduce overall CO₂ emissions by an estimated 900 million tons over the next 10 years.