Feds Announce Big-Rig Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards

The U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have announced the first national fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards for buses and heavy-duty trucks. The standards cover trucks produced in the 2014 to 2018 model years and are divided into three main categories: (1) “18-wheelers,” (2) heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, and (3) vocational vehicles (such as concrete mixers and garbage trucks). These standards may reduce emissions by as much as 250 million metric tons, save approximately 500 million barrels of oil, and provide an estimated $41 billion in net benefits ($35 billion to truckers and $6 billion in societal benefits).