Delivering the Green

The report examines the potential for reducing global warming emissions and fuel consumption in California's heavy-duty truck fleet through the adoption of commercially available aerodynamic and tire technologies. It finds that retrofitting and purchasing efficient trucks can lead to significant diesel savings and CO2eq reductions, with some long-range trucks potentially saving over $30,000 over their lifetime. The document identifies market barriers—such as split ownership and a lack of standardized fuel-economy testing—and recommends that California establish in-use and new-truck global warming pollution standards to accelerate adoption.

• Equipping tractor-trailers with commercially available aerodynamic devices and high-performance tires and wheels can reduce fuel consumption by more than 12 percent. For a typical long-range truck traveling over 100,000 miles per year, this results in an annual saving of 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel and a potential net gain of over $30,000 over the truck's lifetime.
• Implementing efficiency retrofits on new and in-use trucks and trailers in California could reduce global warming pollution emissions by 17 million metric tons (MMT) of CO2eq by 2020, which is equivalent to removing 2.5 million cars from the road.
• Heavy-duty trucks are a major source of pollution in California, accounting for 20 percent of all transportation-sector global warming pollutant emissions and 30 percent of the state's total nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions.
• The adoption of fuel-saving technologies is hindered by several market barriers, including the fact that trucks change owners frequently, the split ownership of tractors and trailers, and the absence of standardized fuel-economy testing and labeling for heavy-duty trucks.
• Beyond vehicle hardware, other operational practices can reduce fuel use, such as reducing speeds (a truck at 70 mph consumes 15 percent more fuel than one at 60 mph), using automatic tire-inflation devices, and investing in driver training, which can improve efficiency by an average of 4 percent.
• The report recommends that California regulators implement in-use retrofit requirements, establish universal testing and labeling for fuel efficiency, and develop new-truck global warming pollution standards to drive the evolution of the marketplace.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (n.d.). Delivering the Green. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/delivering-the-green.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Delivering the Green. n.d. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/delivering-the-green.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Delivering the Green |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/delivering-the-green.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientistsnddelivering, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Delivering the Green}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/delivering-the-green.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }