Nearly half of nation’s truck fleet runs on cleaner diesel technology

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In the United States, 75 percent of commercial vehicles run on diesel, 43 percent of which operate on near-zero-emissions diesel truck technologies, according to Diesel Technology Forum research.

This represents a 6.8 percent spike from December 2017 to July 2019.

Next generation diesel trucks have eliminated 1 million tons of particulate matter, 18 million tons of nitrogen oxides, and 126 million tons of carbon dioxide since 2007. They also have saved 12.4 billion gallons of diesel.

New heavy-duty trucks have been equipped with particulate control technologies and selective catalytic reduction since 2011. These technologies help fleets meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s requirement of no more than 0.20 grams of nitrogen oxides per brake horsepower hour.

“As we look to the future where new fuels and technologies may come more into focus, we can’t hit the pause button on progress today,” Allen Schaeffer, Diesel Technology Forum executive director, said. “These new findings reinforce the importance of the new generation of diesel in delivering vital societal benefits today in the here-and-now. No technology is as vitally important to achieving current and future goals as advanced technology diesel engines.”

Seventeen states are at or above the national average for the percentage of clean diesel, according to IHS Markit data.