Introduction of new clean diesel truck engines and emissions control systems into Pennsylvania’s trucking fleet over the last five years is now at a 35% level, according to new research commissioned by the Diesel Technology Forum.
“Pennsylvania, with 35 percent of commercial trucks equipped with the latest generation clean diesel technology, ranks sixth and exceeds the national average adoption rate of 30 percent,” says Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum.
Notably, the 30% national average is up from just 25.7% last year.
Schaeffer explains that if the penetration rate of new technology clean diesel trucks in Pennsylvania were to accelerate to that of leading states (like Indiana for example, at 51%), an additional 34 million gallons of fuel and 340,000 tons of greenhouse-gas emissions could be saved while eliminating an additional 46,000 tons of oxides NOx.
“The U.S. trucking fleet is transitioning to newer clean diesel technology, which means immediate fuel savings, lower greenhouse-gas emissions and cleaner air. This newest generation of clean diesel trucks have NOx emissions that are 99 percent lower than previous generations, along with 98 percent fewer emissions of particulate matter, resulting in significant clean air benefits throughout the U.S.,” says Schaeffer.
“Achieving these substantial emissions reductions and efficiency advancements was in part the result of collaboration of the nation’s leading truck and engine manufacturers working with the Department of Energy and 21st Century Truck Partnership’s ‘SuperTruck’ program,” he explains. “While the intent of this valuable program is to push the margins of research engineering efficiency, it is clear that demand is leading many of these strategies to be integrated into the commercial truck fleet and contributing to real-world emissions reductions and fuel savings.”
The research was conducted by IHS Markit, a global technical marketing research firm. State rankings data is based on Diesel Technology Forum analysis of IHS vehicles in operation in operation data representing Class 3-8 diesel trucks from model year 2011 through 2016 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia through Dec. 31, 2016.
Pennsylvania Ranks #6 in Adoption of the Latest Clean Diesel Trucks
| Percentage of New Technology Diesel Trucks In Operation (MY 2011 & Newer; Class 3-8) | ||
| State | Percentage | |
| 1) | Indiana | 51% |
| 2) | Utah | 42% |
| 3) | Oklahoma | 42% |
| 4) | Texas | 36% |
| 5) | Montana | 35% |
| 6) | Pennsylvania | 35% |
| 7) | Nebraska | 34% |
| 8) | Maryland | 34% |
| 9) | Wyoming | 33% |
| 10) | Wisconsin | 32% |
| National Average | 30% | |
| (Diesel Technology Forum analysis based on IHS Automotive 2016 vehicles in operation data, December 2016; ranked by share) | ||
