Improving Fuel Economy in Heavy-Duty Vehicles

Resources for the Future DP 12-02

39 Pages Posted: 12 Apr 2012

See all articles by Winston Harrington

Winston Harrington

Resources for the Future

Alan Krupnick

Resources for the Future

Date Written: March 28, 2012

Abstract

In September 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency promulgated the first-ever federal regulations mandating fuel economy improvements for heavy-duty commercial vehicles. While the performance-based approach to these rules offers familiarity and assurances of fuel economy improvements, it also has some well-known weaknesses. In this paper, we describe fuel economy technologies for the trucking sector, its economic structure, the details of the new fuel economy regulations, and the controversies they sparked. We then address issues raised in reviewing the accompanying regulatory impact analysis. Next, we highlight some flaws of this form of regulation and suggests a variety of alternative, more market-oriented approaches that might work better.

Keywords: fuel economy, CAFE, trucks, heavy-duty vehicles, technology-based standards, regulatory impact analysis, RIA

JEL Classification: Q41, Q52, Q55, Q58, R48

Suggested Citation

Harrington, Winston and Krupnick, Alan, Improving Fuel Economy in Heavy-Duty Vehicles (March 28, 2012). Resources for the Future DP 12-02, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2038842 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2038842

Winston Harrington

Resources for the Future ( email )

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Alan Krupnick (Contact Author)

Resources for the Future ( email )

1616 P Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
United States

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