Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/741843
74 commercial carrier journal | october 2016 EQUIPMENT: EPA-NHTSA PHASE 2 STANDARDS for tractors, EPA also is adopting new particulate matter standards that effectively limit which diesel-fueled auxiliary power units can be used as emissions-control devices to reduce main engine idling in tractors. The future of glider kits EPA also proposed a number of changes and clarifications for rules respecting glider kits and glider vehicles. The final rule contains emissions standards for glider vehicles but does not contain separate standards for glider kits. Under the final rule, gliders largely will be considered new trucks, meaning the engines installed in them must be emissions-compliant with the model year in which the truck is assembled. To reflect these considerations, EPA is adopting provi- sions stating that a glider kit becomes a vehicle when "it includes a passenger compartment attached to a frame with one or more axles." "The EPA sees nothing in the Act that compels the result that adding a used component to an otherwise new motor vehicle necessarily vitiates classification of the motor vehicle as 'new,' " the agency wrote. "The fact that this approach is reasonable, if not mandated, is confirmed by the language of the Act's definition of 'new motor vehicle engine,' which includes any 'engine in a new motor vehicle' without regard to whether or not the engine was previously used." Despite changes to their classification, Stu McLaughlin, head of marketing for Fitzgerald Glider Kits, says the glider industry will remain viable. "We're confident we'll be able to test our products and meet the new standards," he says. Smaller glider kit makers that may assemble only a few hundred gliders a year are likely to be the ones hit hardest by the new EPA standards, McLaughlin says. Kit builders unable to meet current-year EPA standards will be capped at building no more than 300 gliders per year. OEMs welcome news Despite the fact that Phase 2 regulations will challenge trac- tor, engine and trailer designers across the United States, OEMs universally applauded the new wave of regulations. Daimler Trucks North America says it was pleased that EPA and NHTSA chose a nondisruptive implementation of the standard, which will allow the industry to phase-in technical changes over a decade and mitigate acquisition cost pressures on customers. "As we have stated through the collaborative debate on the Phase 2 rule, the final rule needed to provide clear long-term targets for the entire vehicle, not just the engine," says Martin Daum, DTNA president and chief executive officer. "It also needed to provide enough time and flex- ibility for the OEMs and customers to decide themselves how to achieve the reductions in a way that is economically feasible." Srikanth Padmanabhan, president of Cummins' engine business, also expressed his company's readiness to provide fuel savings and environmental benefits while complying with the mandate. "We are pleased that the rule builds on the Phase 1 regu- latory framework that recognizes the diversity and com- plexity of the commercial vehicle sector," Padmanabhan says. "We look forward to continued collaboration with the agencies and our customers to ensure a successful imple- mentation." Siddiq Khan, senior researcher for the American Coun- cil for an Energy-Efficient Economy, also lauded the rule's passing, adding Phase 2 standards will deliver major savings at the pump to truck owners and reduce the cost of freight movement nationwide. "With these fuel savings, most truckers will recover the incremental cost of the more efficient trucks in less than two years," Khan says. "The standards also provide long-term certainty for manufacturers investing in clean engine and vehicle technologies. The Phase 2 program will strengthen the market for truck efficiency technologies, helping to ensure that the United States remains a world leader in this area." The final rule, however, wasn't universally welcomed. Jake Jacoby, president and CEO of the Truck Rental and Leasing Association, says his organization remains concerned about stricter standards being placed on truck manufacturers, but was pleased that EPA and NHTSA granted the association's request to have the final implementation year of Phase 2 remain in 2027 versus 2024, which had been considered. "TRALA also is pleased that there appears to be harmo- nization of standards and some additional flexibility for the OEMs to reach these targets," Jacoby says. Under the final rule, gliders largely will be considered new trucks, meaning the engines installed in them must be emissions-compli- ant with the model year in which the truck is assembled.