The recent spate of emission-control regulations issued by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is going to pose bigger compliance headaches for smaller fleets compared to their larger brethren, according to a recent analysis by GE Capital Fleet Services.
The problem is that the bevy of CARB’s California-only rules for commercial trucks ‘ including the 2010 Diesel Exhaust Emission Program, Heavy Duty Vehicle Idling Emission Reduction Program, Heavy Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Reduction measure, and Truck and Bus Regulation Reducing Emissions from Existing Diesel Vehicles measure ‘make it impractical if not impossible for fleets to keep older trucks compliant.’ And that, said Ken Gillies, truck engineering manager at GE Capital Fleet Services, turns the operating model for many small fleets on its head.
The American Trucking Associations disagrees with a legal association’s new report that charges truck safety is poorly enforced.
The American Association for Justice, formally the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, analyzed data from the Motor Carrier Management Information System, maintained by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The AAJ reported that as of April, 28,274 carriers in operation have conditional or unsatisfactory safety ratings.
In August, Tennessee received federal stimulus funding for idle reduction rebates for small fleets, with priority given to fleets with five trucks or fewer, and truck stop electrification.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, allocated the funds.
Tennessee motor carriers can apply for rebates for 50 percent of idle reduction technologies, such as auxiliary power units, for long-haul trucks. The legislation is providing $1.73 million in funding to supplement the state’s Idle Smart Clean Diesel Grant program.
Aluminum and steel makers, and at least one truck manufacturer, said they are working to design truck cabs and frames using lightweight materials that could reduce a tractor’s weight by 20 percent to 25 percent.
The Aluminum Association, the American Iron & Steel Institute and global truck maker Volvo AB all said that they have been engineering prototypes that could hit the road within 10 years, saving fuel and allowing more payload.
"The Obama administration should consider $20 billion in loan guarantees or insurance for small manufacturers cut out of credit markets, a private-industry advisory panel to the U.S. Commerce Department said." The council said "small manufacturers can't get loans to fund operations or investments." The group said "in a letter to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke that it wants the government to provide individual guarantees of as much as $10 million under the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility." The council said "banks are turning away small manufacturers seeking loans, and Small Business Administration funding programs aren't being used because of 'stringent requirements.'" The inability "for these companies to obtain financing may undermine an economic recovery, the group said in the letter." The group said "it is setting up a meeting with Locke to discuss the proposals."
American Trucking Associations’ tonnage index fell 10.4 percent in July from a year ago, the slowest rate of decline since February, offering another sign that the sick U.S. economy may be starting to heal.
The decline, announced Aug. 26, showed a distinct improvement from the 13.6 percent drop from June 2008 to June 2009. The month-to-month comparison also was favorable, as the July index of 101.9 was 2.1 percent above the June results for the advance seasonally adjusted for-hire index. Though the trend was better, the July figures represented the 10th consecutive month-to-month drop in the index, including the June decline, which was the fastest since 1996.