Proposed legislation aims to help truckers go green

The trucking industry continues to make strides toward a more energy-efficient future, and government leaders are taking action with legislation designed to help truckers install fuel-efficient technologies on Class 8 trucks.

Earlier this summer, U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL) introduced H.R. 4810, the Supporting Trucking Efficiency and Emission Reductions (STEER) Act, to establish a Department of Energy (DOE) voucher program that helps truckers purchase and install fuel-saving, emission-reducing technologies. The voucher program would cover expenditures associated with adopting fuel-efficient technologies on Class 8 trucks.

“We can reduce fuel consumption and emissions in the transportation industry without enacting costly environmental mandates on American companies and workers,” Davis said in a statement. “That’s why I’m introducing the STEER Act. It’s common-sense, market-driven ideas like my legislation, not heavy-handed policies from Washington, that will protect American workers and our environment without destroying our economy.”

The voucher program would help truckers implement new technologies that address wind and rolling resistance, which are critical aspects of fuel-efficiency in Class 8 trucks, according to Davis and trucking industry experts. Adopting such technologies can improve Class 8 fuel efficiency by as much as 15% and can cut national fuel consumption by 4.5 billion gallons per year, they said.

“The STEER Act is rocket fuel for American innovations [that] help the trucking industry become cleaner and more efficient,” according to Daniel Burrows, founder and chief executive officer of trucking technology firm TruckLabs. “These innovations help all fuel types, so we can reduce diesel truck emissions today, while also paving the way to an alternative fuel future. Every dollar saved on fuel goes back into the pocket of truck fleets so more efficient trucks are a win for all involved.”

Proponents say the STEER Act could accelerate adoption of fuel-efficient technologies by more than a decade. The voucher program allows truckers to cost-effectively install systems on both new and existing trucks, they said.