Fast Facts

Below you’ll find fast facts about the recommendations within the American Trucking Associations’ sustainability program.

Speed Limits and Speed Governing
Recommendation:
Enact a national 65 mph speed limit for all vehicles, and govern new trucks at no more than 68 mph.
Fact:
Bringing speed limits for autos and trucks down to 65 mph would save 2.8 billion gallons of diesel fuel in 10 years and reduce CO₂ emissions by 31.5 tons. Automobile consumption of gasoline would drop by 8.7 billion gallons, with an accompanying drop of 94.7 million tons of CO₂ emissions.

Idling
Recommendation:
Pursue a federal solution that reduces non-discretionary idling through highway infrastructure improvements and reduces discretionary idling through incentives for technology improvement.
Fact:
Idling annually consumes an estimated 1.1 billion gallons of diesel fuel. Reducing discretionary idling (for heating and cooling) can be accomplished with new technologies. Currently available options have the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions by an estimated 67 to 133 million tons over the next 10 years.

Fuel Efficiency
Recommendation:
Encourage fuel efficiency improvement through increased carrier and shipper participation in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partnership Program.
Fact:
Program partners are closely monitored by the EPA, and will reduce fuel consumption in 2008 by an estimated 554 million gallons of fuel.

Congestion Reduction
Recommendation:
Advocate improved highway infrastructure to reduce congestion—a preferred method of further reducing carbon emissions from the trucking industry—paid for with a dedicated fuels tax, if necessary.
Fact:
Congestion relief is one of the most viable strategies for reducing carbon emissions. Eliminating congestion in all 437 urban areas would reduce truck CO₂ emissions by 45 million tons over 10 years.

More Productive Truck Combinations
Recommendation:
Advance current policies on truck combination reforms to reduce emissions, relieve congestion and conserve fuel.
Fact:
A truck carrying more freight burns more fuel, but research shows that increased volumes of freight can be moved more efficiently using a smaller number of large trucks rather than a larger number of small trucks. This would reduce the number of trucks on the road, reducing the amount of fuel burned as well as the industry’s carbon footprint.

Support Fuel Economy Standards
Recommendation:
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.
Fact:
Enhanced driving techniques can save up to 35 percent on fuel consumption.