Congress will have until Sept. 30 to approve an extension the nation’s transportation spending plan, which includes a federal gasoline tax and a diesel tax. Outspoken anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, says he will not block the extension, on which thousands of highway projects depend. Norquist’s next big push will be to reduce fuel taxs and transfer more transportation decisions to the Continue Reading

Researchers have found a somewhat promising source for producing biodiesel. And though it would only supply a fraction of the need, the silver lining is that it keeps the would-be waste material out of the landfill and turns it into something useful. Engineers at the University of Louisiana are proposing alligator fat as the basis for making alternative fuel, particularly for its easily convertable oil content. They say it’s similar to biodiesel produced from soybeans, but its pluses are that it wouldn’t take away from a food source or drive up its prices as a result. Thus far, converting Continue Reading

Fuel prices are taking an ever so slight plunge at the pump, albeit a short-lived one, according to seveal industry sources. A decline in demand is the main reason for the decrease in price, but continued uncertainty globally will prevent too significant of an improvement in price. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average cost of diesel in the U.S. is now $3.94 per gallon–a drop of just under 5 cents from last week– but a decline of 12 cents per gallon since the week of May 16. Declining fuel consumption can help reduce fuel prices, but many other factors affect Continue Reading

The trucking industry is getting strong enough to weather the effects of higher fuel prices, but not all small or medium-sized companies may make it. Research firm FTR Associates surmises that fuel prices have reached their peak, yet even despite the increases, it’s not slowing down fleets that are looking to replace older equipment. Orders for Class 8 vehicles have jumped by triple-digit percentage points–158 percent, according to ACT Research, which predicts those numbers could be even higher if fuel prices were lower. Not everyone will be able to survive the latest jump in fuel, but the Continue Reading

For only the second time since November, gas prices took a tumble last week, though they’re still more than a dollar higher than when the current surge began. The national average of $4.098 a gallon is $1.02 more than the same week last year. Despite the slight decline, the strain of paying higher prices is being felt everywhere. Though in California, a gallon of diesel is the most expensive in the country at $4.438. On the Continue Reading

Think fuel prices are putting a crunch on your bottom line? This may be just the beginning, according to some experts, though the rate of increase is rising a little slower this year than the close of 2010. Demand is growing and will continue to do so, a byproduct of the fact that home heating oil is needed to fight the brutal cold that’s blanketed a large portion of the country. A gallon of diesel has climbed steadily, up to nearly $3.50/gal. at the end of January, some 60 cents more than a year ago. The price has been on a slow and steady climb since reaching a low point of $2/gal. in March 2009. According to Continue Reading

The latest round of good news that the California Air Resources Board is cheering contains some previously unseen surprises. Results from its latest diesel cleanup program targeting ports, trucks, trains and ships has been successful in updating 5,300 trucks through retrofits or replacement. But, in a shift from many previous programs, one-third of the trucks that received program funding are owned by owner-operators, and half of Continue Reading

Unusually cold weather in Europe and the U.S. Northeast and the expected higher demand for oil pushed the Department of Energy to revised its projected fuel prices in its latest monthly short-term energy outlook. The DOE’s predictions for diesel fuel jumped 17 cents above its forecast last month with the expectation that it will average $3.40 a gallon this year. By 2012, the average will be $3.52, according to the DOE. Gasoline prices are on the rise, as well, and the department’s latest weekly survey indicates that diesel and gasoline–at $3.333 and $3.089 per gallon, respectively–have hit the Continue Reading

The more than $5 million in grants recently awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) won’t be funding the use of commonplace components to reduce emissions. Instead, the clean diesel grants will support emerging technologies not yet verified or certified by the EPA or the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The $5.6 million in awards will fund port, locomotive and bus projects for Continue Reading

With a goal of improving efficiency and reducing costs, Dean Foods plans to remove 50,000 metric tons of carbon from its transportation system by 2013, the equivalent of removing 9,500 cars from the road. Taking one step toward that goal, the nation’s largest dairy processor unveiled a new delivery vehicle equipped with a new prototype truck refrigeration system developed by Thermo King. The electric-powered refrigeration units replace Continue Reading