President Obama has directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to create the first-ever national policy to increase fuel efficiency for both medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks starting with model years 2014 and full compliance by 2018.In announcing the directive, the President said the fuel economy of commercial trucks could increase as much as 25 percent using technologies in place today. Preliminary analysis suggests that—over the lifetime of vehicles built between 2014-2018—the program could save up to 500 million barrels of oil and achieve approximately $70 billion in fuel savings.
As auto/truck manufacturers strive to meet the executive order of more fuel efficiency, some of the ramifications could include:
· Reduction in the overall weight of trucks
· Smaller truck engines installed
Critics argue this is a classic case of fuel efficiency versus safety. In order to achieve the standards, trucks will need to be lighter in order to use less fuel. However, lighter weight trucks can make the driver more susceptible to injury in a collision. The challenge will be for engineers to explore new ways to keep drivers and occupants safe in lighter trucks. Additionally, the policy created by the EPA and DOT must be closely monitored and evaluated to determine the impact on truck driver safety.
Read a short news piece about the policy.
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