Obama Wants Tougher Fuel Standards For Big Trucks

Photo Credit: Mike Blake/Reuters/LandovPresident Obama said Tuesday that he has told the Environmental Protection Agency to work with the Department of Transportation on a second round of regulations to improve the fuel efficiency of medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The goal: reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions they contribute to the environment.

The tighter standards would affect vehicles built after the model year 2018 and would apply to trucks that weigh more than 8,500 pounds. That group can include some popular pickups built by Chrysler, Ford, GM and other automakers — as well as sanitation trucks, delivery vehicles and the trailer-tractors that haul cargo up and down the nation’s highways.

The White House says the rules already put into effect have saved truckers money: “By model year 2018, an operator of a new semi truck could pay for the technology upgrades in under a year and realize net savings of $73,000 through reduced fuel costs over the truck’s useful life,” it states in a report on the initiatives.

Tightening standards further will eventually save truckers even more, Obama said.

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