Fuel Takes the Spotlight in Analysis of Trucking’s Future
While fuel has always been a major component of the trucking industry, recent decades have seen the topics of fuel sourcing, fuel efficiency and cleaner burning fuels gain a larger focus. As part of the push to find cleaner fuels from more sources at lower prices, groups like the Diesel Technology Forum have engaged in analysis of the ways in which trucks are powered in the digital age.
A recent study from the Forum found that out of nearly 15 million Class 3-8 commercial trucks on the road today, 76% relied on diesel. Out of this cohort, 53% are using advanced diesel engine technology. These numbers reflect an increase of 4% from 2020 to 2021 in terms of commercial trucking companies that made the switch from traditional diesel to advanced diesel. Additionally, around 630,000 near-zero emissions diesel units were added to America’s fleets from 2020 to 2021.
Electric Technology on the Rise
When it comes to electric technology, California leads the way with 32% of all electric trucks on the road being in the state despite electric making up around 1% of all trucks on the road. Gasoline-powered trucks make up 23% of commercial trucking fleets, and 97% of all Class 8 rigs were traditional diesel. DTF has previously published research that demonstrates a potential savings of 1.3 billion metric tons of CO2 over the course of a decade by switching to cleaner technologies like advanced diesel and electric.
What These Changes Mean
The transitioning away from traditional diesel in smaller trucks and the rising prevalence of near-zero emissions trucks on the road means that fleet managers, drivers and trucking company owners will likely see changes in the near future. Aside from government regulations related to emissions standards, changes will also come in the way of parts availability and technology awareness.
As with any transitioning technology, the switch from traditional diesel to electric and hybrid technologies means that older models, and therefore their parts, will be phased out of production. In a sense, this will eventually force change in order for trucking companies to stay competitive. Drivers and fleet managers will also likely see a need to manage expectations regarding ongoing training. Electric and digital technologies in future trucks may require some trucking professionals to retrain in order to operate and understand the equipment they use each day to get the job done.
