WASHINGTON (July 26, 2016) — Roughly 4 million of the approximately 9.5 million medium- and heavy-duty diesel trucks in the U.S., or about 41 percent of the total, are now equipped with newer-technology clean-diesel engines, according to a new analysis from the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF).
This compares with the 37 percent the DTF recorded last year, the forum said in a press release.
Issued July 14, the analysis covers all IHS Automotive vehicles in operation representing Class 3-8 diesel trucks, model years 2007 through 2015, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the DTF said.
Indiana had the highest registration of clean diesel trucks, comprising 61 percent of the trucks registered in the state, the DTF said.
Three other states — Utah, Oklahoma and Texas — have clean-diesel registrations above 50 percent, it said.
Oregon boasted the greatest increase in clean-diesel registrations between 2014 and 2015, up 35 percent, the DTF said. However, California, which has the largest number of registered diesel trucks, ranks near the bottom for percentage of clean diesel registrations, it said.
In 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency promulgated a rule to reduce emissions from heavy-duty trucks and buses by 95 percent and sulfur content in diesel fuel by 97 percent by 2010, according to the DTF. In 2007, all new heavy-duty diesel trucks had to meet a near-zero particulate emissions standard.
“Because diesel overwhelming dominates the heavy-duty truck sector and is also the No. 1 power source for medium-duty vehicles, the transition to newer generations of clean diesel technology is significant,” said DTF Executive Director Allen Schaeffer.
“Beyond the clean air benefits, model year 2010 and newer trucks also achieve 3- to 5-percent improvements in fuel economy and lower emissions of greenhouse gases,” Mr. Schaeffer said.
For more information about the DTF, visit www.dieselforum.org.