Letter to the Editor: Supplying Urea

This letter appears in the May 7 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.

In regard to an article in your April 16 edition, we think it is important to emphasize again the ongoing, comprehensive efforts to build a nationwide urea distribution network by a consortium of truck and engine manufacturers, truck owners, retail fuel facility owners, fuel distributors and urea providers. (Click here to see the article, “Truck Stops Concerned About Supplying Urea.”)

While truck stops will certainly play an important role in distributing the aqueous urea for 2010 selective catalytic reduction systems, the consortium also plans to have the solution available at filling stations and fleet maintenance facilities.

In addition, truck manufacturers such as Mack Trucks Inc. and Volvo Trucks North America, to whom we supply engines, are planning to have aqueous urea available in retail containers through their dealers.

While demand for urea might be relatively light at first, it will grow as the population of SCR-equipped trucks expands. The heavy-duty OEMs already publicly committed to this technology for 2010 represent about 60% of today’s market, and the decision of light-duty vehicle manufacturers to use SCR technology beginning in 2008 will certainly foster growth.

It also is important to note that there will be a whole range of storage and dispensing options available — these may include plastic bottles, 55-gallon drums and 250-gallon palletized totes, as well as bulk refill systems, such as 500- to 1,000-gallon free-standing “stillages” — beyond the 1-liter containers and underground storage tanks mentioned in the
article.

We are confident that SCR is the best choice to deliver the performance, reliability and fuel economy the trucking industry demands, while meeting the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 emission regulations and ensuring cleaner air.

We are also confident that by working together, the various stakeholders in the industry consortium, including NATSO, will develop an effective, efficient network to distribute the aqueous urea SCR requires.

Steve Berry
Director, Government Relations
Volvo Powertrain North America
Hagerstown, Md.