Freight
Freight trucks account for 248 billion vehicle miles traveled (VMT) or about 8% of the nation’s VMT. Together, truck and rail transport consumed over 40 billion gallons of diesel fuel in 2007 – about 18% of all transportation-related energy consumed in the US – and produced over 414 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. - In the Northeast, 40 percent of all on-road transportation-related nitrogen oxide emissions and 51 percent of fine particle emissions are from heavy-duty trucks.
- The Northeast corridor also relies heavily on rail to transport freight. Rail often operates in densely populated urban areas where ozone levels consistently exceed the health standard. With locomotives having useful lives of up to 40 years, programs to control rail emissions are especially important in this region.
Reducing Diesel Emissions from Freight
Members of the Northeast Diesel Collaborative are actively working to reduce diesel emissions from ground freight transportation.
- Since 2006, the Maine Public Utilities Commission's Efficiency Maine Program has made 46 low-interest loans to small long-haul truckers to help them buy Auxiliary Power Units, reducing idling and helping them stay in business.
- Truck stops along I-90 and I-295 in New York and New Jersey have electrified 238 bays to reduce idling.
- In Massachusetts and Connecticut, 30 switchyard locomotives have installed auxiliary power units that give the trains power even when the engines are off.
Federal Regulations
Clean Diesel Trucks and Buses Rule: The Clean Diesel Trucks and Buses Rule sets more stringent emissions standards for on-road diesel vehicles beginning with those manufactured in 2007. The Rule will be fully implemented by 2010. The rules require clean diesel fuel with a sulfur content capped at 15 parts per million and the use of advanced emission control technology. Exhaust emissions from these vehicles will decrease by more than 90 percent. While cleaner fuel will reduce emissions from all diesel vehicles, the new emission standards only affect newly manufactured on-road diesel vehicles, so the full benefits of these regulations will not be realized for years to come.
Emissions Standards for Locomotives: In 2008, EPA finalized a new set of more stringent emission limits for locomotives, to be phased in over the next decade, which will result in locomotive engines that are 90% cleaner than today. This new rule also requires remanufactured locomotive engines to meet more stringent emissions standards than they were required to meet at the time of original manufacture.
State and Local Regulations
Six of the eight Northeast states have anti-idling regulations:
EPA NE conducts compliance assistance to encourage fleet and facility operators to comply with New England states' idling limits.
The American Transportation Research Institute publishes a compendium of idling regulations by state and updates it regularly.
FHWA Talking Freight Seminar Series
The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration hosts monthly net-conference seminars to provide a convenient and no-cost way for transportation practitioners to broaden their freight knowledge base and develop new skills to help them do their jobs better. Visit http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/freightplanning/talking.htm to register for upcoming sessions and see/hear recordings of previous seminars.
Related Resources
Best Practices Guidebook for Greenhouse Gas Reductions in Freight Transportation
Freight transportation accounts for approximately 9% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. This report for the US Department of Transportation surveys 59 potential best practices for reducing energy use and GHG emissions in freight transportation. A presentation based on this report can be found here.
Scoping Study to Evaluate Locomotive Emissions Operating in New Haven, Connecticut and Potential Control Options (NESCAUM, June 2006)
This report presents a preliminary inventory of locomotive emissions and evaluates potential control options to reduce locomotive pollution in New Haven and Fairfield, two densely populated counties in which most of Connecticut’s rail activity takes place.
Smartway Transport Partnership
The SmartWaySM Transport Partnership is a voluntary collaboration between US EPA and the freight industry designed to conserve fuel while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. Companies that provide or hire freight delivery and logistics services can become SmartWay Transport partners. EPA helps partners calculate their current environmental performance, set improvement goals, understand fuel-saving strategies and technologies, calculate cost savings, and win industry and public recognition. SmartWay also verifies the performance of fuel-saving technologies, certifies trucks and trailers with energy-saving features, and offers a variety of financing opportunities.
Currently over 2000 shippers, carriers, logistics providers, and affiliates participate in the Partnership, including hundreds in Canada. SmartWay is quickly expanding its international reach and developing new tools to help shippers analyze their carbon reduction options more accurately within and across all modes in their “supply chain” (truck, rail, port drayage, marine, etc.) .
EPA New England is active in SmartWay, both recruiting and supporting partners. New in 2009 is a cooperative agreement with Cascade Sierra Solutions to provide rebates for truck & trailer upgrades. For more information about SmartWay partners and program contacts in New England, go to http://www.epa.gov/smartway/transport/where-you-work/region1.htm
EPA Regions 1 and 2 are active in SmartWay, both recruiting and supporting partners. New in 2009 are cooperative agreements, one in both Regions 1 and 2, with Cascade Sierra Solutions to provide rebates for truck & trailer upgrades. For more information about SmartWay partners and program contacts in Region 1, go to http://www.epa.gov/smartway/transport/where-you-work/region1.htm. For Region 2 specific information, go to http://www.epa.gov/smartway/transport/where-you-work/region2.htm