Ingersoll Rand’s Thermo King brand said its new evaporator blower assembly enables transport customers to gain improved energy and operational efficiency for their single and multi-temperature refrigeration units while lowering fuel costs. The company has enhanced its Spectrum and SB-30 series units with the Smooth Air Blower, which can increase cooling capacity by up to 4% and lower fuel usage by up to 7%, according to the maker.

The enhancement is now standard on Spectrum multi-temperature refrigeration units and SB-30 series single-temperature refrigeration units, including the SB-130, SB-230 and SB-330. These refrigeration solutions can help owners and operators reduce fuel and operating costs and minimize driver involvement with the refrigeration units.

Click here to visit Fleet Equipment and read the complete story.

An analysis of the new federal fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty trucks and pickups conducted by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) concludes that fleets and consumers alike should reap more than enough savings to compensate for increased costs to make those vehicles comply with the new regulations.

“Our research indicates that the fuel savings these standards will generate should far exceed any upfront costs,” Zoe Lipman, NWF’s senior manager for transportation solutions, told Fleet Owner. “We’ve also consistently seen cost estimates for new technology actually come in lower than expected, meaning the payback periods should be shorter.”

Click here to visit Fleet Owner and read the complete story.

Port of Tacoma's Clean Truck Program Gets High Marks in Study

A study presented Thursday, Feb. 18, to Port of Tacoma commissioners shows that 90 percent of the heavy-duty trucks serving terminals meet the port’s 2010 clean truck standards, 4 percent more trucks than a year ago. The Washington State port’s Clean Truck Program’s 2010 standards, aimed at reducing port-related diesel particulate emissions, require trucks to have 1994 model year engines or newer.

Clean air goals were adopted in early 2008 as part of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, a partnership among the Port of Tacoma, Port of Seattle and Port Metro Vancouver, B.C. The strategy outlines jointly established short- and long-term clean air goals for ships, cargo-handling equipment, rail, trucks and harbor craft. In 2009, the Port of Tacoma launched its Clean Truck Program, adopting the regional strategy’s goals as standards.

Click here to visit CCJ and read the complete story.

UPS Inc. said it has deployed 245 new delivery trucks powered by compressed natural gas to cities in Colorado and California.

The company said 140 new CNG-fueled trucks have been deployed over the past month to Denver and more to four cities in California, including 59 to West Los Angeles.

The vehicles are part of UPS’s continued effort to reduce its emissions from the use of fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel and lower its carbon footprint, the company said in a statement.

Click here to visit Transport Topics and read the complete story.

Battery Breakthrough Needed to Boost Mass Market Hybrid Appeal

A new study by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) concludes that a major breakthrough in battery technology is necessary in order to foster “mass market” demand for all-electric and hybrid electric vehicles within the next decade. Without such a breakthrough, the firm determined, all-electric and hybrid vehicles will remain too expensive – both in terms production costs and sticker price – to penetrate the market in large numbers.

“For years, people have been saying that one of the keys to reducing our dependency on fossil fuels is the electrification of the vehicle fleet,” said Xavier Mosquet, leader of BCG’s global automotive practice and a co-author of the study. “The reality is electric-car batteries are both too expensive and too technologically limited for this to happen in the foreseeable future.”

Click here to visit Fleet Owner and read the complete story.

Since its introduction in the House of Representatives earlier this year, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) or H.R. 2454,( a.k.a the Waxman- Markey bill for its sponsors Henry Waxman, D-CA, and Ed Markey, D-MA,) has been drawing both strong support and opposition from various interest groups. And now some large, nationwide motor carrier shave signaled they oppose a key provision of the bill—largely on the grounds that as written, it is patently unfair to trucking to the point of threatening its future existence.

Within its five separate titles detailed over nearly 1,000 pages, the carbon cap and trade provision is arguably the most controversial. Now some truck fleets are joining the ranks of those against the cap and trade provision, including Con-Way and Schneider National.

According to C. Randal Mullett, v.p. government relations & public affairs for Con-Way, one of the biggest problems with the cap and trade program is that it is unfair to the trucking industry, asking trucking to pay a disproportionate percentage of the costs while delivering no benefits or concessions in exchange, such as those being offered to the coal-fired utilities. “If transportation does not get allowances like the other segments [of the economy], we have no choice but to oppose it,” Mullett said.

Those “allowances” are the carbon credits side of the equation, and the credits that would initially be allocated by the federal government to certain industries are among the most contentious aspects of this bill. According to Grist.beta, for example, the cap and trade process would start by dividing up a starter pool of carbon credits among these industries:

- 15% would be given to energy-intensive industries like iron, steel, cement, and paper until 2025
- 5% would be given to merchant coal generators (companies that sell coal-generated electricity to other companies at market prices) and to electricity producers obligated to supply electricity under long-term contracts; the giveaways would be phased out from 2026 through 2030
- 2% would be given to oil refineries starting in 2014 and ending in 2026
- 2% would be given to electric utilities between 2014 and 2017, and 5 percent thereafter, to cover the costs of deploying carbon capture and sequestration technology

Some of the permits would also be given to entities that are not covered under the bill, which would sell them and use the proceeds for specific purposes. That includes 3% for the automobile industry from 2012 and 2017, scaling back to 1% through 2025; the value would be used for the development of clean car technologies.

Perhaps the single biggest problem, though according to Mullett, is that cap and trade may change shipping patterns so much that it will cause companies to have to relocate shipping terminals, factories and other facilities and thus alter the entire nature of freight transportation. “Are we the next tobacco?” he asks. “With cap and trade, we risk losing forever the essential role of the trucking industry.”

Instead of cap and trade, Con-Way supports increasing fuel taxes to provide the funding needed to repair and improve America’s infrastructure, work that will require an estimated $930 billion over the next five years, according to the American Trucking Assns.

Like Con-Way, Schneider National, Inc. has also come out against carbon cap and trade, issuing an official position statement outlining their objections: “We are opposed to carbon cap and trade legislation. Government allocation of carbon-based energy use is nothing less than government control over the means and methods of production. It would require the creation of a massive federal bureaucracy to manage the allocations. It would likely result in more lobbying and campaign contribution abuses as citizens compete for the carbon credits being doled out by the government.

“We believe that a carbon cap and trade program would further weaken the economy, misallocating resources better allocated by the markets,” the statement continued. “The creation of wealth would be inhibited, and it is just such wealth that, in the past, funded and sustained the tremendous improvements in air and water quality our country has achieved over recent decades. We at Schneider remain committed to responsible environmental stewardship and believe that carbon cap and trade legislation is at best extremely inefficient – and is likely counterproductive – in furthering environmental sustainability efforts.”

The independent Heritage Foundation, which likewise opposes the Waxman-Markey bill, assigns hard numbers to the damage it envisions the measure could cause: “An analysis of the Waxman-Markey bill (as reported out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce) found that unemployment will increase by nearly 2 million in 2012, the first year of the program, and reach nearly 2.5 million in 2035, the last year of the analysis. Total GDP loss by 2035 would be $9.4 trillion. The national debt would balloon as the economy slowed, saddling a family of four with $114,915 of additional national debt. Families would also suffer, as the bill would slap the equivalent of a $4,609 tax on a family of four by 2035.”

There are, of course, other voices and other perspectives, including those of many utility industry leaders. “If we give climate change the priority it deserves and tackle the problem seriously we will improve our nation’s energy security, create new jobs, grow a new sector of the economy, and safeguard the planet for future generations,” noted Ralph Izzo, chairman, president & COO of New Jersey-based PSEG, one of the nation’s 10 largest electric companies,, in an article on the Ceres website. “Establishing a price on carbon through a cap and trade program will give businesses the certainty they need to invest in the new energy economy,” added Izzo.

“We need fleets to understand why they have to be concerned,” said David L. Miller, vp–global policy & economic sustainability for Con-Way. “Some fleets just don’t yet understand the potential impact [of cap and trade] on their own operations.”

[source - fleetowner.com] ]]> http://www.myettnews.com/2009/10/con-way-schneider-come-out-against-cap-and-trade-effort/feed/ 0 http://www.myettnews.com/2009/08/house-bill-would-give-tax-credit-for-apus/ http://www.myettnews.com/2009/08/house-bill-would-give-tax-credit-for-apus/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:37:29 +0000 Rhonda Flathman http://www.myettnews.com/?p=1052 Fleets may soon benefit from a tax credit for purchasing auxiliary power units (APU) if a bill introduced in the House of Representatives passes. The Idling Reduction Tax Credit Act of 2009 offers a tax credit for 50 percent of the unit up to $3,000. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that idle-related fuel consumption would be reduced by 80 percent with the use of APUs. The American Trucking Association voiced its support for the bill.

A bill introduced in the House of Representatives would provide up to $3,000 in tax credit for fleets to purchase auxiliary power units.

The Idling Reduction Tax Credit Act of 2009, introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) Thursday, would provide a tax credit for 50% of the cost of an APU, up to $3,000, Blumenauer said in a statement.

APUs power certain functions of a truck when the truck’s engine is not running. Trucks spend six to eight hours a day idling, for up to 300 days a year, Blumenauer said. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) is co-sponsoring the bill.

American Trucking Associations expressed its support for the legislation shortly after it was introduced Thursday.

“The initial capital cost of idle-reducing technologies has been a major barrier to trucking companies,” President Bill Graves said. “This legislation will allow us to move forward with industry-wide efforts to reduce air pollution and fuel consumption related to idling.”

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that APUs reduce idle-related fuel consumption by at least 80%, ATA said.

A day before the APU bill was introduced, the House Committee on Science and Technology approved legislation that would authorize $550 million for the Department of Energy for the production of new advanced technology vehicles.

The Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2009, introduced by Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich) would also expand research and development efforts for fuel efficient commercial truck technologies, Peters said in a statement.

[source - ttnews.com]

]]> http://www.myettnews.com/2009/08/house-bill-would-give-tax-credit-for-apus/feed/ 0 http://www.myettnews.com/2009/07/siding-aluminum-truck-suppliers-look-for-materials-savings/ http://www.myettnews.com/2009/07/siding-aluminum-truck-suppliers-look-for-materials-savings/#comments Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:27:45 +0000 Rhonda Flathman http://www.myettnews.com/?p=917 Today’s average Class 8 tractor contains 1,000 pounds of aluminum, but a chairman at the Aluminum Association says there is room for that number to grow. Buoyed by the success of using high-strength lightweight aluminum in automotive applications, the commercial vehicle sector is the next step for expanding its use. The future could potentially see aluminum in landing gear, cab roofs and floors, cab doors, rear trailer doors and more, which could save an estimated 3,500 pounds compared to a current truck and trailer. That weight savings could further boost the fuel-efficiency and payload capacity tied to aluminum.

Future Could See Greater Use of Aluminum in Trucks, Trailers

ARLINGTON, Va. — More aluminum on trucks increases fuel efficiency while boosting payload capacity says the chairman of the Aluminum Association’s Auto & Light Truck Group and marketing ground transportation director for Alcoa.

Speaking to the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on the Assessment of Fuel Economy Technologies for Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicles, Randall Scheps says that using high-strength, low-weight materials such as aluminum in commercial vehicle applications offers many possibilities for creating lighter weight trucks and buses.

“Success experienced in the automotive industry in achieving improved fuel economy through lightweighting can be applied to the commercial vehicle sector,” said Scheps.

Aluminum is already used for many items on commercial trucks, including in many cabs, forged aluminum wheels, fuel tanks, tank bodies, and trailers. In fact, Scheps said,

The average Class 8 tractor today contains 1,000 pounds of aluminum — but there’s room for more.

Potential future applications for aluminum could include in landing gear, cab roofs and floors, cab doors, frame rails, rear trailer doors and more.

These emerging technologies, Scheps said, could save 3,500 pounds versus today’s truck and trailer.

[source - todaystrucking.com] ]]> http://www.myettnews.com/2009/07/siding-aluminum-truck-suppliers-look-for-materials-savings/feed/ 0 http://www.myettnews.com/2009/07/fedex-puts-retrofitted-hybrids-into-fleet/ http://www.myettnews.com/2009/07/fedex-puts-retrofitted-hybrids-into-fleet/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:51:34 +0000 Rhonda Flathman http://www.myettnews.com/?p=913 Three of California’s major metropolitan areas stand to benefit from FedEx Corp.’s recent boosting of its hybrid fleet by more than 50 percent. The global express delivery company retrofitted 92 trucks with diesel-electric engines and added them to its delivery fleet primarily servicing the Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego metropolitan areas. Not only will the move help insulate the company from the potential of rapidly escalating fuel costs, but also it will reduce smog-causing oxides of Nitrogen emissions by 75 percent compared to its standard delivery trucks, among other benefits.

FedEx Boosts Hybrid Fleet 50 Percent

Global express delivery company FedEx Corp. is adding 92 trucks retrofitted with diesel-electric hybrid powerplants to its ground delivery fleet – increasing the size of its hybrid fleet by more than 50%, from 172 to 264 vehicles.

John Formisano, vp-global vehicles for FedEx Express, said retrofitting standard delivery trucks to a hybrid configuration is proving to be a cheaper option – though FedEx is still hoping for more government incentives to help further spur sales of new hybrid trucks.

“The conversion of these standard FedEx trucks into hybrids … demonstrates that converted hybrids are a viable, lower-cost option compared to purchasing new hybrids,” Formisano said. “We now need government incentives to end a Catch-22 situation: Production volumes [for new hybrid trucks] are low due to high cost, and costs will only come down with higher production volumes.”

The hybrid retrofit program was developed with Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC) and Eaton Corp., which provided the hybrid-electric systems, and the conversions were completed at FCCC’s Charlotte, NC, plant over the last sixmonths. The standard FedEx trucks used in the retrofit program were 2000 or 2001 models with 300,000 to 500,000 miles on them. The 92 retrofitted trucks will be placed into service in California, primarily in the Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco metropolitan areas.

An added benefit of the conversion program is that it reduces pollution and extends the life of the vehicles, helping to eliminate waste production and creating a reduce-and-reuse program, said FedEx’s Formisano.

Despite the higher price tag for hybrid trucks compared to its standard diesel-only delivery vehicles, FedEx is taking the long view with this technology, according to Sandeep Kar, automotive and transportation analyst with research firm Frost & Sullivan.

“It seems that, despite short-term downturns in revenues and operating in a severe recessionary environment, FedEx is not losing focus of its medium- to long-term growth strategy which hinges greatly on reducing operating costs,” Kar said. “What we absolutely must not ignore is that diesel prices will begin their upwardly climb just as soon as the economy recovers.”

He told FleetOwner that FedEx’s business – like every other one in transportation – depends heavily on petroleum-based fuel, and that can be problematic when fuel prices rapidly escalate as they did in 2004.

“The key is you must find ways to insulate the business as best as you can from high oil prices,” Kar explained. “Using hybrids amounts to reduced fuel use and thus reduced fuel costs. The whole idea behind adding hybrids to their fleet is reducing the cost of fuel on their bottom line – that is why FedEx is being so aggressive with this technology.”

FedEx said its new retrofitted hybrid trucks are projected to improve fuel economy by 44%, decrease particulate matter by 96%, and reduce smog-causing oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions by 75% compared to its standard delivery trucks.

Overall, FedEx said its hybrid-electric fleet has logged more than four million miles of revenue service since being introduced in 2004. The hybrids have reduced fuel use by 150,000 gallons and carbon dioxide emissions by 1,521 metric tons, which is equivalent to removing 279 cars from the road annually, said FedEx.

[source - fleetowner.com] ]]> http://www.myettnews.com/2009/07/fedex-puts-retrofitted-hybrids-into-fleet/feed/ 0 http://www.myettnews.com/2009/07/ata-testifies-on-concerns-about-climate-change-legislation/ http://www.myettnews.com/2009/07/ata-testifies-on-concerns-about-climate-change-legislation/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:39:46 +0000 Rhonda Flathman http://www.myettnews.com/?p=822 The American Trucking Association voiced its concerns over climate-change legislation before the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, outlining the points it believes should be addressed in any new laws to prevent any substantial increases on consumer goods. The fear is that stringent impositions on the freight delivery system could impede the delivery of vital goods, such as food, medicine and clothing.

An American Trucking Associations official told a Senate committee Tuesday that climate-change legislation would impose significant costs on American consumers.

Ray Kuntz, chairman of ATA’s executive committee and the group’s immediate past chairman, said that any substantial cost increases imposed directly or indirectly on trucks by climate change legislation will curtail the delivery of vital consumer goods across the nation such as food, medicine, and clothing.

“Constraining the country’s freight delivery system would change our way of life for the worse by significantly increasing the cost of everything we buy,” Kuntz testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Kuntz, chairman and chief executive officer of Watkins and Shepard Trucking, Helena, Mont., cited that in addition to increased fuel costs, any climate-change legislation should include the following points.

- It must address the need to improve highway infrastructure to reduce carbon output.

- Carbon oversight markets must carefully be monitored and transparent to prevent excessive speculation.

- Trucking needs to be addressed differently than passenger vehicles because trucks are not discretionary users.

- State transportation emissions reduction plans must not impede the delivery of goods.

- Federal regulations must preempt regional, state and local carbon laws to prevent a patchwork jumble of laws that would impede transportation efficiency.

- Oil refiners should receive appropriate free carbon allowances for fuel production to help offset significant price increases for refined products.

Kuntz serves on ATA’s Sustainability Task Force, which developed a progressive sustainability agenda that will reduce fuel consumption by 86 billion gallons and carbon dioxide emissions by 900 million tons for all vehicles over the next 10 years.

Click here to read Kuntz’s full testimony. (PDF)

[source - ttnews.com]

]]> http://www.myettnews.com/2009/07/ata-testifies-on-concerns-about-climate-change-legislation/feed/ 0