Better Trucking Fleet Fuel Efficiency Is Available Now: Cleaner Skies, Lower Costs

A trucking efficiency report released today shows that existing technologies can reduce fuel usage by nearly 30 percent for regional routes, creating immediate cost savings and air quality improvements.

Boulder, CO – June 16, 2020, The Run on Less Regional Report, released today by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), uses data from a demonstration drive with 10 trucking fleets and is the second in a series of tests showing that improving fuel efficiency is within reach for trucking fleets with off-the-shelf technologies. This report focuses on regional haul trucking, which is characterized by distances under 300 miles to and from a base, predictable routes and frequent returns to base, particularly overnight.

Fuel costs are the second-highest operating cost for fleets and while reducing fuel costs provides immediate savings, it also means less air pollution, creating cleaner skies, particularly for low-income communities, which are disproportionately located near highways and major thoroughfares.

The trucking industry has shown itself to be an essential resource, particularly to support health care, the food system and e-commerce, as COVID-19 has changed the face of work and life in our world.

“Regional haul can no longer be treated as a complex minority part of goods’ movement. We now have a strong definition of this important market segment and understand its impact on two of trucking’s huge challenges—attracting drivers and adoption of battery electric trucks,” said Mike Roeth, NACFE’s executive director.

The report also shows how regional haul efficiency can address two persistent trucking industry issues:

• With regional operations, drivers are more likely to get home on a regular basis, which could help the industry with its driver recruitment and retention problem.
• Regional operations are well positioned to transition to alternative-fuel vehicles because
  adding infrastructure at the base for energy sources other than gasoline or diesel fuel is easier than the cross-country infrastructure that is needed for long haul trucking.

“We are thrilled with the results of the Run on Less Regional… these results help illustrate what is possible today and in the future to dramatically improve efficiency. This report allows us learn from valuable data collected from the Run and apply it toward a future of zero-emission freight movement,” commented Oliver Bishop, general manager, Shell Hydrogen.

Despite the myriad of fuel efficiency technologies that are cost-effective to use, multiple barriers have stymied industry adoption. These includes a lack of data about the true performance gains these technologies offer, as well as a lack of confidence in the payback for investment into these technologies. To overcome those barriers and facilitate the industry’s trust in and adoption of the most promising cleaner operating technologies, NACFE’s Run on Less tests and reports prove the value for efficiency, environmental benefits and return on investment for fleets.

To download, visit NACFE: Run On Less Regional Report.

Media Inquiries please contact:
Nick Steel, Media Relations Manager, New York,
Tel: +1 347-574-0887,
Email: nsteel@rmi.org

About the North American Council for Freight Efficiency
The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to doubling the freight efficiency of North American goods movement. NACFE operates as a nonprofit in order to provide an independent, unbiased research organization for the transformation of the transportation industry. Data is critical and NACFE is proving to help the industry with real-world information that fleets can use to take action. In 2014, NACFE collaborated with the Carbon War Room, founded by Sir Richard Branson and now a part of RMI, to deliver tools and reports to improve trucking efficiency. www.nacfe.org

About Rocky Mountain Institute
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)—an independent nonprofit founded in 1982—transforms global energy use to create a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future. It engages businesses, communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs to accelerate the adoption of market-based solutions that cost-effectively shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; the San Francisco Bay Area; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing.