Fleets Pan Fuel Efficiency of Low-Emissions Diesels

AN ANTONIO — New low-emissions diesel engines have lower fuel efficiency than older models but so far fewer maintenance or reliability problems, according to a panel of fleet maintenance executives at the ATA Management Conference & Exhibition here on Oct. 19.

Marty Fletcher, director of technology and training for dry van truckload carrier U.S. Xpress in Chattanooga, Tenn., said operational tests of trucks over a 229-mile route in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama showed a loss of fuel economy of between 9% and 12%, compared with trucks equipped with engines made before the Environmental Protection Agency’s stricter standards for diesel emissions took effect last year.

Fletcher said carriers are now looking for ways to offset the loss of fuel efficiency, while engine manufacturers are focused on meeting the 2007 deadline for even lower emissions.