Clean diesel growing in popularity
More than 28 percent of all trucks registered in the United States – 2.5 million of 8.6 million trucks - are now equipped with advanced new technology clean diesel engines, according to new data compiled by R.L. Polk and Company for the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF).
The Polk data includes registration information on Class 3-8 trucks from 2007 through 2012 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Beginning in 2007, all heavy duty diesel trucks sold had to meet particulate emissions levels of 0.01 grams per brake horse-power hour (g/HP-hr) - a level near zero.
"The fact that more than 28 percent of all trucks on U.S. roads today are new technology diesel engines with near zero emissions is significant for the environment and the trucking industry," said Allen Schaeffer, the executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. "More than 95 percent of all heavy duty trucks are diesel-powered, as are a majority of medium duty trucks. Diesel power is the driving force today of goods movement by truck in our economy and they are continuing to play a central role of the United States' new effort to reduce fuel consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the coming years.
"These increasing penetration rates are a reflection of the confidence that truckers have in the new technology diesel engines, particularly during the last few years which have been a recessionary period with lower demand for trucking services," Schaeffer said.
Regionally, the Midwest (31 percent) has the highest percent of new diesel trucks, followed by the South (29.8 percent), the Northeast (29.1 percent), and the West (26.0 percent).
New Diesel Trucks by Region
|
Region |
Total Post-2007 Clean Diesel Trucks |
Percent of All Trucks |
Total Trucks In Region |
|
Midwest |
740,937 |
31.0 percent |
2,388,950 |
|
Northeast |
353,875 |
29.1 percent |
1,216,036 |
|
South |
935,425 |
29.8 percent |
3,134,659 |
|
West |
489,615 |
26.0 percent |
1,882,208 |
|
Totals |
2,519,852 |
28.6 percent |
8,621,853 |
(Source: R.L. Polk and Company for the Diesel Technology Forum)
Midwest States: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin
Northeast States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont
South States: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia
West States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming