Nearly Half of All Commercial Trucks Now Powered by Clean Diesel Technology with Near Zero Emissions

Photo by Rhys Moult on Unsplash

Yesterday the Diesel Technology Forum released information from a new study with impressive new numbers regarding the adoption of advanced diesel technology. Nearly half (49%) of all commercial diesel trucks on the road today utilize the newest diesel engine technology, eliminating 202 million metric tons of CO2, 27 million metric tons of NOx ad 1.6 million metric tons of PM. All this has been achieved while simultaneously saving almost 20 billion gallons of diesel and 296 million barrels of crude. 

Right now 23 states exceed this average and Indiana leads the pack with 67% of its commercial trucks being 2011 or newer. 

To fully appreciate how significant these numbers are, consider this. The quantity of emissions and fuel savings is equivalent to replacing 43 million cars with EVs or creating a 210,000 acre wind farm (roughly 5 times the size of Washington D.C.).

How many Americans are aware of how much progress has been made in reducing toxic discharge? Throughout the coming decade we will see even greater environmental gains.

"Results from the newest technology diesel vehicles are growing in the form of cleaner air and fewer greenhouse gases in communities around the country," said Allen Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum. For those unfamiliar, the DTF is a not-for-profit association that represents leaders in diesel engines, equipment and fuels.

The primary reason all this is important is that diesel-powered commercial carriers are the primary, and favored, way of transporting goods across our ribbons of highway. Reliability, durability, low-cost acquisition and operation, high-value resale and flexibility head the list of reasons diesel-powered trucks are dominant. With the incremental improvements to achieve zero emissions and energy-efficient performance, diesel's contributions to our nation's economic growth are significant and unheralded.

Diesel Technology Forum continues to do important work as advocates on behalf of diesel. We're exceedingly appreciative of their lobbying efforts and all the numbers crunching they do to assemble this kind of encouraging information for the diesel community. 

The full article is a five minute read. You can check it out here.