U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) recently introduced legislation to help America’s transportation industry reduce fuel emissions on certain trucks.
“We can reduce fuel consumption and emissions in the transportation industry without enacting costly environmental mandates on American companies and workers,” said Rep. Davis. “It’s common-sense, market-driven ideas like my legislation, not heavy-handed policies from Washington, that will protect American workers and our environment without destroying our economy.”
Rep. Davis on July 29 sponsored the Supporting Trucking Efficiency and Emission Reductions (STEER) Act, H.R. 4810, which would establish a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) voucher program to assist truckers in purchasing and installing fuel-saving, emission-reducing technologies, according to a bill summary provided by the congressman’s office.
Specifically, the voucher program would cover expenditures associated with adopting such technologies on Class 8 trucks, which typically have three or more axles and have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) exceeding 33,000 lbs., such as tractor trailer tractors, single-unit dump trucks and non-commercial chassis fire trucks.
If enacted, the voucher program created under H.R. 4810 would accelerate wider adoption of fuel-efficient technologies by reducing the up-front costs of materials and installation of these systems on new trucks or retrofitting existing trucks, according to the bill summary.
Adoption of these technologies can improve Class 8 fuel efficiency by as much as 15 percent and can cut national fuel consumption by 4.5 billion gallons a year, the summary says.
“The STEER Act is rocket fuel for American innovations which help the trucking industry become cleaner and more efficient,” said Daniel Burrows, founder and CEO of TruckLabs, a technology company. “These innovations help all fuel types, so we can reduce diesel truck emissions today, while also paving the way to an alternative fuel future. Every dollar saved on fuel goes back into the pocket of truck fleets so more efficient trucks are a win for all involved.”