What I find fascinating, is that I bought a 2013 Freightliner... body and chassis only... and dropped in a factory rebuilt Detroit 60 made in 2000. No emissions junk whatsoever and legal. And it delivers 20% better mpg than the trucking industry average with all the emissions stuff and so-called efficiency improvements. It is all about gearing, tires, and a number of other factors. And no two operations are identical in every detail. A truck being used to haul grain off the farm is not going to get the same mpg as a truck pulling a dry box with general freight. Even if spec'd identically.
It all comes down to destruction of the American economic system. We live in a virtual paradise, ecologically, than the 60's. We have come a long, long way, and much of the EPA stuff, as initially setup, was needed. With the stuff they are putting on diesels now, the air is almost cleaner coming out the stack as it was going in the air filter. It adds roughly $15,000 to the cost of a new truck, decreases the load carrying by almost 1000 lb, which is less freight and less revenue per truck. And it is a maintenance nightmare which has increased truck downtime considerably on average. It is a feel good, warm fuzzy thing that those well off can absorb thru higher prices at the store, but penalizes those that cannot just absorb higher costs to buy their groceries.
Keep in mind, the more the trucks get taxed, EPA'd to death, etc, those additional costs are piled on the consumer. They just get rolled into my rates to haul. You want the stuff, you will have to pay to get it. If I get a call from someone to haul a product I hauled just 4 months ago, and do it at the same rate, the product will stay sitting on the dock, as I will not show up. You have to pay to play. I am not a charitable organization. The fuel, repairs, cost of equipment, fuel and road use taxes, all the new emissions stuff, etc is in the price you paid for your groceries.
