Car News Articles 
 Alternative Fuel Vehicles
 Automotive Articles
 Car Buying Tips
 Car Insurance Articles
 Car Maintenance
 Car News
 Car Racing
 Car Repair
 Car Safety
 
 Driving Economically
 Environmental Issues (56)
 Exterior Car Care
 Garage Know How
 
 How Car Stuff Works
 Motorcycle Articles
 Road Trips
 Traveling with Kids
 Younger - Older Drivers
 
 Amsoil Synthetic Oil
 Article Archives




spacer
spacer
Environmental Issues

Pollution By Trucks

Dear EarthTalk: Are there any efforts underway to lessen the environmental impact—which must be considerable—of all the “18 wheelers” and other large vehicles that are numerous on our highways? -- Sadie Strauss, Madison, WI

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, although large trucks account for just six percent of total highway miles driven in the U.S., they are responsible for a host of environmental threats. These include over half the soot and a quarter of the smog-causing pollution generated by highway vehicles, six percent of the nation’s global warming pollution, and more than a tenth of the country’s oil consumption.

A typical diesel-powered 18-wheeler can emit as much nitrogen oxide and fine particulates—key elements in the formation of asthma-inducing smog—as about 150 passenger cars.

Although strict limitations on emissions of various pollutants from cars have been in place in the U.S. since the 1970s, trucks and other large transport vehicles have been allowed to emit as much as five times as much pollution per mile.

But thanks to new regulations put in place by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), new trucks coming off assembly lines in the years immediately ahead promise to be much cleaner and greener. Known collectively as the EPA’s Heavy-Duty Highway Diesel Rules, the new regulations mandate that trucks manufactured in 2007 or after produce 75-90 percent less nitrogen oxide and 90 percent fewer particulates than earlier models. Of course, with most of the trucks on the road made prior to 2007 and thus exempt from the new regulations, air quality improvements won’t happen overnight.

In the meantime, though, the federal government has also instituted new regulations mandating that diesel fuels contain 97 percent less sulfur, another primary component of smog, than previously required. This means that all diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S., new or old, will be polluting less. Regulators hope that the combination of greener trucks and cleaner fuel will eventually bring emissions from large trucks into parity per mile driven with cars and light trucks (SUVs, pickups and minivans).

Beyond making existing truck engines more efficient, new technologies promise to green the trucking industry even more. Biodiesel, a form of diesel fuel derived from renewable plant crops, is coming on strong. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, use of the most common blend, B20 (80 percent regular diesel and 20 percent biodiesel), cuts petroleum use by 19 percent, greenhouse gas emissions by 16 percent and hydrocarbon emissions by 20 percent.

Also, hybrid technologies popularized by the Toyota Prius are starting to show up in trucks. Federal Express is pioneering the use of hybrid technology in trucks by outfitting many of its new delivery trucks accordingly. And several U.S. cities now run hybrid diesel-electric buses. Environmental leaders hope such fuel- and emission-saving technologies will trickle down into the private trucking industry as well.

CONTACTS: Union of Concerned Scientists, www.ucsusa.org; EPA’s Heavy-Duty Highway Diesel Program, www.epa.gov/otaq/highway-diesel.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.







Related Articles:
Recycling Your Vehicle
Greener Pastures: P2O Plants Convert Farm Waste to Fuel
How Bad Is The BP Oil Leak?
Recycle Your Car
The Smart Way To Replace Your Vehicle
Retire Your Ride Recycling Program
Green Car Care Tips Your Car Can Go Green
Magnesium Chloride Keeps Roads Safe
Environmental Impact Of Snow Removal
Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline From EarthTalk
LED Lighting Automotive Technology
This Spring, Orange is the New Green
It's Getting Easier For Drivers To Go Green
Yellow School Buses: Greener Than Many Think
Biofuel From Algae Holds Up Against Other Alternative Fuels

spacer
sdg
make image
model image
zip code


Stay Updated!


Environmental Issues
Related Articles
Every Driver Can Curtail Exhaust
Driving Green For Dummies: It's
Easy Steps Toward Green Driving
Five Tips For Greening Your
King Of The 'Green' Road
Recycling Your Vehicle
Greener Pastures: P2O Plants Convert
How Bad Is The BP
Recycle Your Car
The Smart Way To Replace
Retire Your Ride Recycling Program
Green Car Care Tips Your
Magnesium Chloride Keeps Roads Safe
Environmental Impact Of Snow Removal
Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline From EarthTalk
LED Lighting Automotive Technology
This Spring, Orange is the
It's Getting Easier For Drivers
Yellow School Buses: Greener Than
Biofuel From Algae Holds Up
spacer

Feed Button



Car Insurance Info | Newsletter | Car Classifieds | Online Car Rentals
Auto Pictures | Link To Carjunky.com



Complete List of Article RSS News Feeds


Copyright © 1999 - . CarJunky® All Rights Reserved.