From Cell Phones to Sodas, How New Truck Standards Can Improve the Way America Ships Goods

The document asserts that the fuel economy of U.S. tractor-trailers has remained stagnant since the 1970s, averaging around 6 miles per gallon. It argues that implementing stronger standards could improve the efficiency of new trucks by 40 percent by 2025, raising average fuel economy from 6.3 mpg to 10.7 mpg. Such improvements would reduce petroleum consumption by over 570,000 barrels of oil per day and prevent over 110 million metric tons of global warming emissions annually. Economically, the report claims these standards would save truck owners $30,000 in fuel costs per vehicle annually and could reduce freight rates by nearly 10 percent, potentially providing households with $135 in annual savings.

• Strong fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards could increase the efficiency of the average new truck by 40 percent by 2025 compared to 2010 levels, raising average fuel economy from 6.3 mpg to 10.7 mpg.
• Implementing these standards would significantly reduce environmental impact and oil dependency, preventing over 110 million metric tons of global warming emissions annually and reducing petroleum consumption by more than 570,000 barrels of oil per day.
• The transition to more efficient trucks offers substantial economic benefits, including $31.8 billion in total fuel savings and a potential reduction in freight rates by nearly 10 percent.
• Market barriers, specifically the use of fuel surcharges by for-hire carriers which reduces the incentive to invest in efficiency, necessitate the use of regulatory standards to accelerate the adoption of cost-effective technologies.
• Five of the largest fleets in the U.S.—FedEx, UPS, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Walmart—could collectively reduce fuel usage by over 500 million gallons and save $1.7 billion in fuel annually under stronger standards.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2015). From Cell Phones to Sodas, How New Truck Standards Can Improve the Way America Ships Goods. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/Engines-For-Change-Executive-Summary.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. From Cell Phones to Sodas, How New Truck Standards Can Improve the Way America Ships Goods. 2015. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/Engines-For-Change-Executive-Summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=From Cell Phones to Sodas, How New Truck Standards Can Improve the Way America Ships Goods |date=March 2015 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/Engines-For-Change-Executive-Summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2015from, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{From Cell Phones to Sodas, How New Truck Standards Can Improve the Way America Ships Goods}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/Engines-For-Change-Executive-Summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }