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ATRI
RELEASES STUDY ON USE OF
FUEL
SAVING/EMISSIONS REDUCING TECHNOLOGIES
ARLINGTON, VA
–
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) today released
results of a survey investigating use of fuel saving/emissions
reducing technologies (FSERTs) among truck owners in the Baltimore,
Maryland region. ATRI conducted the survey in cooperation with the
Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) to help gauge interest in these
technologies as well as potential financial incentives to assist
with their deployment.
ATRI
contacted businesses operating diesel trucks in the Baltimore region
to learn about current and planned use of FSERTs – which include
automatic tire inflation systems, single-wide tires, diesel
particulate filters and other technologies – as well as factors
influencing the use of these technologies. Interest in these
technologies should incentives become available was also
investigated.
The percentage of
respondents using various types of FSERTs ranged from 3 to 14
percent while the number of trucks and/or trailers equipped with a
particular technology ranged from 23 to more than 1,000. Factors
which were identified as potentially influencing the use of FSERTs
included knowledge of EPA’s SmartWay Partnership, total annual
revenues, type of business, and total number of trucks operated.
Planned use of
FSERTs was similar to current use in terms of percentage of
respondents planning use, number of trucks and/or trailers to be
equipped, and potential factors influencing usage. Businesses
currently using FSERTs were much more likely to plan FSERT
installations within the next 5 years than those businesses not
using these technologies.
When the prospect of
financial incentives to reduce the cost of FSERTs was presented,
interest in these technologies more than tripled from planned usage
levels. In addition, a strong interest was expressed by businesses
not currently using these technologies. This interest points
towards the potential to expand FSERT use through incentives,
especially since current users tend to plan future use. Tax credits
and grants were identified as the most helpful forms of incentives.
For a copy of the
final report, which includes the survey results as well as
descriptions of the various technologies and incentive programs
investigated, please visit the Research Results – Environmental
Factors section on ATRI’s website at
www.atri-online.org.
ATRI is the trucking
industry’s 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is
engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation’s
essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient
transportation system.
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