Overview
Emissions standards are becoming more and more strict and the commercial trucking industry is paying a high price. All 2007 and newer trucks are required to come with a Diesel Particulate Filter, or DPF, which is designed to greatly decrease the carbon released through the exhaust system. The DPF does greatly decrease the soot and smoke emitted from a trucks' exhaust stacks. This is a result that is plain to see.
Costs
What is more difficult to see are the costs that the trucking industry is paying. From large fleets to the Owner/Operator, DPF can be costly in both direct expenses as well as time spent at a service center and not on the road. Let's look at some of those expenses. Fuel mileage is a concern to every trucker out there. Rising fuel costs are painful. Rising fuel costs mixed with lower mileage can be deadly to the profitability of people in the heavy duty trucking industry.
Downtime is another enormous concern regarding DPF equipped trucks. Even when repair costs are covered under warranty, time spent having repairs and maintenance equals loss of income. Owning one type of engine may not provide any significant advantage. Different manufacturers have different methods of servicing DPF's. Caterpillar engines need one type of cleaning service whereas Detroit engines require a different method of cleaning. Whether you own a Freightliner, Kenworth, Mack, Peterbilt or Volvo, you are required to have a DPF. No one is immune!
The Coming Year
Next year holds another obstacle for us: even stricter standards. 2010 promises more costly changes to the industry. California will require retrofits to existing trucks.
Diesel Particulate Filters do provide a benefit to the environment. But DPF requirements have a direct and troubling cost to the people in the trucking industry. Everyone from fleet operators to owner/operators has to ask themselves, "Do I keep my 2002 model rig that gets 7mpg versus owning a new clean truck?" or "How much more will these new emissions standards hurt our bottom line?"
It is difficult to see these trends and hear our customers telling us that they feel like the deck is stacked against them.
