West Coast Truckers To Get Fuel Savings Help

(Washington, D.C. – June 22, 2006)  Small-to-medium trucking firms in Oregon, California, and Washington have a new way to become more environmentally friendly while saving money. A new, innovative partnership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency aims to upgrade 400 trucks traveling along the West Coast's I-5 Corridor with fuel-saving and pollution-reduction technologies.

"The freight industry drives America's economy, and through EPA's SmartWay program, truckers are keeping more money in their pockets while helping us all breathe a little easier," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.

EPA has partnered with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Oregon's Departments of Transportation and Energy, and Cascade Sierra Solutions to make its SmartWay upgrade kits available for long-haul trucks. The kits package together a variety of fuel and emissions-saving technologies and typically consist of engine idle reduction technology, low rolling resistance tires, improved aerodynamics and exhaust after-treatment devices.

SmartWay Upgrade Kits can reduce fuel consumption, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxide emissions by as much as 20 percent.  When the kit includes an exhaust after-treatment device, particulate matter emissions are reduced by 25 percent to 90 percent, depending upon the type of technology.

Because of the fuel savings, upfront capital costs of SmartWay kits are generally paid back within one to three years. In addition to the short payback period, if a loan is needed to purchase an upgrade kit, the monthly fuel savings exceed the monthly loan payments, thus increasing profits from the first day companies use the kits.

By 2012, the SmartWay program, with full participation, estimates nationwide annual fuel savings of 3.3 to 6.6 billion gallons of diesel fuel, eliminating 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions.

Information about SmartWay Upgrade Kits: http://www.epa.gov/smartway

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