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Transportation - Fossil fuel reduction opportunities - heavy trucks and domestic freight 9 Items

Efficiency gain of low rolling resistance tires vs. baseline



Ton miles of freight by mode

Short sea shipping could save heavy trucks’ fuel by shifting ton-miles onto ships and waterborne highways that travel up and down our coasts and interior waterways. This would reverse durable trends toward truck freight.


Heavy truck efficiency supply curve

Better design can save up to 45% of U.S. heavy truck fuel, or 1.7 Mbbl/d in 2050, at a weighted-average cost equivalent to $1.00-per-gallon diesel fuel.


Efficiency potential for heavy truck aerodynamic improvements

Integrating four major aerodynamic features can save about 10% of heavy trucks’ fuel: a nearly sealed tractor-trailer gap, full skirting of the tractor and trailer, a rear drag reducing device, and optimized cab shape with minimal aerodynamic discontinuities.


Engine idling vs other methods

Line haul trucks waste a great deal of fuel idling their engines overnight to power small “hotel loads” that cool, heat, and power personal electronics within truck cabs. Auxiliary power units reduce this use by two-thirds; electrified parking spaces eliminate it.


Mass reduction potential for a class-8 heavy truck

As with light duty vehicles, lightweighting trucks reduces tractive load. Over 2,800 lb of weight reduction potential is available, lowering the tare weight so more cargo can be carried by fewer trucks.


Auxiliary load reduction efficiency potential and cost

Parasitic loads are generated by accessories that run the engine or provide power to vehicle systems like cooling fans, alternator, actuators, power steering, air brake compressors, and liquid pumps. Serving these loads more efficiently can reduce heavy trucks’ total fuel use by 3–7% at minimal cost.


Fuel savings potential trucks vs rail intermodal

Trains can move four times more ton-miles per gallon than trucks, typically at lower cost. Rail intermodal systems, where trains move shipments over medium to long distances and trucks move goods to final destinations, could save upwards of 25% of heavy truck fuel by 2050—perhaps even 60–80%.


Rail shipments, 2009

Coal currently dominates U.S. rail shipments. If rail intermodal is to expand across the country, trains will need to free up capacity by shipping less coal. This potential is presented in the Renew and Transform cases within Reinventing Fire’s electricity sector.


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