Proposed Heavy-Duty Truck Standards

The Obama administration has proposed new rules governing the fuel efficiency and carbon emissions of tractor-trailers, delivery vans, and other medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The rules build on an earlier round of standards and impact new vehicles released in model years 2018-2029.

If finalized, the standards would cut oil use by over a million barrels every two days. By not burning that oil, the United States would, over the lifetime of trucks affected by the rule, avoid 1 billion metric tons of global warming emissions. That’s roughly equivalent to the emissions created by powering all U.S. households for a year.

While strong, the administration’s proposal could still be improved. Stronger standards would require a 40 percent reduction in fuel consumption by 2025—a technically feasible and cost-effective target that, when compared to the current proposal, saves more fuel, sooner.