I’ve long thought that the trucking industry is full of creative, intelligent people. Just look at how the industry has responded to particulate emissions challenges in the last 30 years and now to the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Truck manufacturers and makers of add-on devices have come up with a variety of ways for fleets to operate more sustainability. In what NACFE has called the Messy Middle, we have identified options such as compressed natural gas and renewable natural gas, renewable diesel, hybrids, battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and hydrogen ICE. And I might even be missing a few other options.
Most of these technologies were on display at the recent ACT Expo. And there were even some people talking about solutions I was not aware were in play, like blending hydrogen into a diesel engine. Like I said, trucking folks are smart and creative.
Seeing all these technologies in one place made me think about fleets that are still on the sidelines when it comes to investigating alternative powertrain solutions. I am guessing that some of them are feeling overwhelmed by all the choices, but I am concerned that before long—given the creativity and intelligence of trucking folks—there will be even more options for them to parse through.
For fleets, I thought of a good place to start. With the variety of powertrain options available today, duty cycle becomes critical. Through our work, we’ve discovered that some powertrain solutions work better in some duty cycles than others. So, I think a good place for fleets to start is to understand in depth how their current trucks are being used. Most fleet managers will claim that they know exactly how their trucks are used. Telematics is a great tool for completing that analysis, but I wonder when most last performed an in-depth analysis of their operation.
See also: Roeth: Being the bridge
Recently, I spoke with a fleet manager who told me that their average length of haul is going down, but that the number of stops they are making per shift is going up.
Since range is a concern with some of the alternative powertrain solutions, finding out that your average length of haul is actually going down could open up more powertrain choices. And it could also be that nothing has changed in some parts of your operation; in others, there may have been changes—either big or small—that could result in one powertrain being a better solution compared to another.
Even if you are not ready to do a pilot project with an alternative-fueled vehicle, doing an assessment of your current operation still could net operational efficiencies as you may find you can optimize routes or eliminate empty backhauls.
Whether your assessment results in your deciding to look at alternative fuels or just nets you some operational gains, it’s still a worthwhile exercise.
Based on the great solutions I’ve seen the creative, smart people in trucking come up with, I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years, we had even more choices and that the current ones are more suitable for more of your needs.
One way to keep from getting overwhelmed by all the choices is to know exactly how your trucks are used. The time to figure that out is now so you’ll be well positioned when you are ready to begin your clean freight journey.
