Report confirms cleaner, fuel 

efficient freight trucks yield big 

savings over the long haul

President Obama has tasked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and 

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with establishing target fuel efficiency and 

greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The proposed 

standards will be released in June and followed by a comment period. A report by Ceres and 

the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) finds that strong standards that cut new heavy truck 

fuel consumption by 40% compared to 2010 levels would deliver significant environmental 

and economic benefits. The report concludes that American businesses stand to save billions 

of dollars under strong standards. 

GREEN TRUCKS ARE GOOD FOR BUSINESS

edf.org

In 2014, NHTSA and 

EPA began developing 

Phase 2 fuel efficiency 

and GHG standards for 

heavy-duty trucks for 

2019 and beyond.

Background

Heavy trucks move 70% of U.S. freight, 

consuming nearly 2.7 million barrels of oil per 

day, and producing nearly half-a-billion tons 

of carbon pollution a year. By 2040, carbon 

pollution from this sector is projected to 

increase by another 40%. Strong fuel efficiency 

and GHG standards will dramatically reduce 

these emissions. In 2011, the first ever fuel 

efficiency and GHG standards for mediumand heavy-duty trucks were adopted. The 

standards cover trucks manufactured between 

2014 and 2018. While a good first step, the 

current standards don’t take advantage of 

many cost-effective technologies that have 

been identified by the National Research 

Council and demonstrated through the 

Department of Energy’s Super Truck program. 

In 2014, NHTSA and EPA began developing 

Phase 2 fuel efficiency and GHG standards for 

heavy-duty trucks for 2019 and beyond. Ceres, 

EDF and other leading environmental organizations are advocating for bold standards 

that take advantage of existing and emerging 

technologies. Tractor-trailer trucks, which 

can travel more than 120,000 miles a year, are 

particularly well positioned for significant 

improvements in fuel efficiency. Today, these 

trucks average 6 MPG. By 2025, new tractortrailer units could cost-effectively achieve 

nearly 11 MPG under normal operating conditions. Ceres and EDF commissioned independent consultant M.J. Bradley & Associates to 

examine the financial impact of bold Phase 2 

standards on the cost to operate tractor-trailer 

trucks. The full analysis is available at: 

www.edf.org/trucksavings

A prototype truck that achieves 

10.7 MPG. It was created by 

Cummins and Peterbilt for the 

DOE Super Truck program.
Report Findings

M.J. Bradley & Associates compared the 

cost of operating a truck under the current 

standards with the cost of truck operation 

under a stronger standard that assumes a 

target for new tractor trailer units of nearly 

11 miles per gallon in 2025. The analysis 

found a stronger standard would: 1. Drive 

fleet average net savings of $0.21 per mile by 

2040. 2. Save sleeper truck operators $18,000-

$38,000 during the first year the new truck is 

in service. A new day cab and trailer would 

realize $4,100-$4,800 in net savings the first 

year. 3. Lower the per-mile cost of heavy truck 

operation by 2.6% in 2030 and 6.8% in 2040, 

compared to the cost of operation under the 

existing standards. These savings will accrue 

directly to trucking fleets and some portion 

will likely be passed on to retailers, manufacturers and other companies that purchase 

trucking services. Trucks could meet strong 

standards by adopting a suite of existing and 

emerging fuel-saving technologies, including 

improved aerodynamics for tractors and trailers, automated manual transmissions, engine 

improvements and the use of waste-heat 

recovery, and the electrification of accessories. 

Conclusion

Strong fuel efficiency and GHG standards 

for our nation’s heavy trucks are critical to 

reducing GHG emissions and freight costs. 

Stringent standards that cut new heavy truck 

fuel consumption by 40% compared to 2010 

levels will enable companies to continue to 

use trucks to get products to market, while 

also reducing emissions, fuel use and costs. 

A $0.21 per mile savings, for example, has an 

annual savings potential in excess of 

$34 billion given that class 8 trucks in the US 

logged nearly 170 billion miles in 2013. EDF 

and Ceres are calling on companies that use 

trucking services to publicly support strong 

truck efficiency and GHG standards. As our 

analysis shows, these standards will reduce 

the per-mile cost of moving freight by truck, 

providing a significant financial benefit to 

shippers across the board while also meaningfully reducing GHG emissions.

* Graph projects per mile freight cost change for heavy duty trucks by the year 2040 if a bold truck efficiency standard is adopted versus maintaining the current standard 

through 2040

For information on how your company can show its support for strong truck efficiency and greenhouse gas standards, contact: Jason Mathers, Senior Manager, 

EDF, jmathers@edf.org / Carol Lee Rawn, Director, Transportation Program, Ceres, rawn@ceres.org

The analysis by M.J. Bradley & Associates is available at: www.edf.org/trucksavings

Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links 

science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships.

Ceres is an advocate for sustainability leadership. Ceres mobilizes a powerful coalition of investors, companies and public interest groups to accelerate and expand the 

adoption of sustainable business practices and solutions to build a healthy global economy. For more information, visit www.ceres.org.

Strong Phase 2 

truck standards 

can drive 

bottom-line 

savings.

Trucks could 

meet strong 

standards by 

adopting a suite 

of existing and 

emerging 

fuel-saving 

technologies.

* Graph projects per mile freight cost change for 

heavy duty trucks by the year 2040 if a bold truck 

efficiency standard is adopted versus maintaining 

the current standard through 2040.