Engine Makers Wrestle With Effects of EPA Settlement

As the major engine manufacturers roll out their 1999 models, the only thing clear is that the equipment issues related to the companies’ settlements with the Environmental Protection Agency paint a muddy picture.

Are the new engines in full compliance with accelerated EPA emissions standards?

Has the compliance been achieved without loss in performance or fuel economy?

Should trucking fleets that buy these models expect higher maintenance costs?

The answers depend on whom you talk to.

When the diesel engine manufacturers, EPA officials and the Department of Justice reached agreements last October on claims of Clean Air Act violations, American Trucking Associations predicted that future compliance would be financed by trucking companies — in the form of greater fuel consumption and engine wear, more labor costs for engine rebuilding and higher maintenance costs.

But the engine makers say that is not the case, at least for 1999. They say their new engines comply with pollution requirements as well as offer the same fuel economy and performance as before — and at the same price.

Caterpillar concedes that 1999 fuel economy won’t be quite as good as 1998’s, but that will only be noticed by companies that replace part of their fleets every year, which most big companies do.

And Detroit Diesel concedes that some of its engines offer better fuel mileage, some are the same and some not as good. Of the latter, the company says the loss of ecomony is only about 1%, the same as the reduction cited by Caterpillar.

For the full story, see the Feb. 2 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.