The proposed standards would apply to the freight trucks, commercial buses, school buses, tractor-trailers, heavy-duty pickup trucks, vans and garbage trucks. They will not apply to passenger cars and light pickup trucks, which already have their own fuel efficiency standards. Heavy-duty trucks use more than 125 million gallons of fuel every day and emit nearly 450 million metric tons of climate pollution annually.

The proposed standards will apply to new heavy-duty trucks for model years 2021 through 2027, and new trailers built in model years 2018 to 2027. Over the life of the program, the new standards are intended to:

• Reduce climate pollution by one billion metric tons

• Reduce fuel consumption by 1.8 billion barrels of oil

• Save truckers 170 billion dollars in fuel costs

• Provide health and other benefits to society of $230bn (benefits that will outweigh costs by a factor of 10 to 1)

The standards will also help the average American household save money because shipping companies can lower prices if they are paying less for fuel. The average household should save $150 per year by 2030 under the proposed standards, and more in following years.

The proposal is the second phase of standards for heavy-duty trucks. The successful first ever heavy-duty fuel economy and GHG program was finalized in 2011 with broad support from truck manufacturers, labor groups, consumers, security groups, and health and environmental organizations.

EPA and DOT will now ask for public comments on the proposed standards. They are likely to be finalized in 2016.

Source: EDF