The administration just announced emissions and fuel efficiency standards for Heavy Trucks, making long haul trucking a much more expensive proposition.  They are demanding a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by 2018 – yeah, right.

Curious that this story is buried or nonexistent from traditional media outlets.

http://bulktransporter.com/news/feds-propose-first-commercial-truck-efficiency-rules-1026/

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the first US national standards that target greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel efficiency in heavy-duty trucks. Unveiled October 25, the new standards begin to take effect in 2014 and are expected to boost the price of a new truck by several thousand dollars

“Several thousand dollars”, a study in understatement there, and of course there will be the obligatory rise in the cost of everything delivered by trucks – which is just about everything.

The EPA and DOT have proposed new standards for three categories of heavy trucks: combination tractors, vocational vehicles, and heavy-duty pickups and vans. For combination tractors, the feds are proposing vehicle and engine standards beginning in model year 2014 and should achieve up to a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by model year 2018. On the vocational side (which would impact many tank truck fleets), the feds want up to a 10% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.