@Dept:
Washington Is Out To Fix Your MPG
The rush is on to cut oil consumption and global warming. Better be on guard.
Sometime soon – likely this month – the U.S. Senate will consider a measure to dictate fuel economy performance in new medium and heavy trucks. Automobile and light truck fuel economy has been federally regulated for years under what's called CAFÉ (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) rules, but this would be the first time for bigger trucks.
The truck provision is part of what's called the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act of 2007, which would require cars and light trucks to improve their fuel mileage to an average 35 miles per gallon – a 40 percent increase – over the next 13 years. Big trucks would have a different set of rules
According to sketchy early information, manufacturers of each class of trucks (10,000 pounds gvw and up) would have two model years to match the fuel economy average of the preceding model year. After that, they would have to improve their mpg by 4 percent each model year.
The House of Representatives will likely come up with its own version, but had not done so as this issue went to press.
Authored by Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., the bill is part of Washington's new headlong rush to pass anything politicians think might (a) reduce our dependency on oil and (b) combat global warming.
President Bush has joined the race, ordering federal agencies to write new regulations to reduce vehicular fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. That order came after the Supreme Court said the administration has failed to adequately regulate car and truck emissions.
Detailed wording of Ten-in-Ten was still being worked out as we went to press. The measure does call for the National Academy of Sciences to study medium/heavy truck fuel economy before the two-year benchmarking begins. But it raises more questions than it answers. Trucks in the same classes have a wide variety of duty cycles, ranging from cruising long hauls to stop-and-go deliveries to doing much of their work while standing still.
And what about payload weight? A tractor hauling a trailer full of empty cans is going to get better mpg than the same tractor hauling lumber or a tank of molasses. Will these things be considered by regulators?
Ultra low sulfur diesel fuel and the 2007 emissions rule have already set back truck fuel economy. With tighter new emissions restrictions coming in 2010, mpg improvements are probably unachievable.
In this real world, a one or two percent mpg gain is huge. But four percent per year over the next decade or so? Just not doable.
Economics works better than regulation. Truck operators already squeeze maximum miles from fuel; it means the difference between profit or loss. And every engine builder strives for top fuel economy, even as emissions controls defeat their efforts. We don't need a law to dictate truck mpg. A law against idling would better serve the cause.
Washington's rush to judgment is driven by spiking fuel prices (oil barons are smiling), new public concern over global warming (Al Gore is smiling), and a presidential campaign (no one is smiling).
Politicians are serious about doing something, whether it makes practical sense or not.
Just don't expect that something to help your business.
Doug Condra
President
E-mail Doug Condra at dcondra@truckinginfo.com, or write PO Box W, Newport Beach, CA 92658.
