Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/893962
vehicles" to bring them within the purview of the Phase 2 Rule. That classification was controversial and ill-informed, to put it mildly. Glider kits, which are not self-propelled, hardly constitute "motor vehicles." In addition, gliders are not "new," as any buyer paying less than the retail price of a comparable, new truck can confirm. Gliders are titled in most states as "used", "remanufactured," or "glider" so as not to confuse consumers or otherwise disguise their true nature. The EPA's decision to limit glider assembly under the Phase 2 Rule was also based on outdated and misleading data. The Obama-era EPA determined that worn or wrecked trucks rebuilt with glider kits using pre-2010 engines would have NOx and PM emissions twenty to forty times higher than current engines. But the EPA made that determination not by conducting any scientific testing or studies but by simply comparing 2010 standards to pre-2002 standards and making assumptions based on that comparison. The Obama-era EPA's conclusions ignored its own standards and testing data on ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. The EPA's ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel standards, which required that all diesel fuel used by trucks and other equipment be ultra-low; sulfur, was fully phased in at the end of 2010. According to the EPA's website, these diesel standards reduce harmful emissions from highway vehicles and nonroad engines and equipment by more than ninety (90) percent. The Phase 2 Rule ignored the impact of these standards on glider emissions. Comparing engine data collected before the use of ultra-low sulfur diesel and engine data collected after the ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel requirements went into effect is like comparing apples to oranges. Further underscoring the shortcomings of the Phase 2 Rule's glider-related provisions is a 2016 study performed by Tennessee Technological University. That study showed that rebuilt engines in gliders assembled by Fitzgerald Glider Kits had GHG emissions equal to or lower than those of OEM engines. The study also demonstrated that the gliders had twenty (20) percent better fuel economy, and a smaller carbon footprint, than OEM engines due to the reuse and recycling of 4,000 pounds of cast steel in the components of the glider. Tommy Fitzgerald Jr., who works alongside his father in the family business, explained that Fitzgerald Glider Kits has expended significant time and effort on research and development into making its products efficient and clean, including light-weighting engines by almost thirty (30) pounds of rotating mass. Fitzgerald Glider Kits also has its own proprietary engine set-up, with parts and technology to make the engine clean, efficient and reliable. So why did the Phase 2 Rule go awry? Fitzgerald Jr. believes that the Obama-era EPA's erroneous assumptions were the result of a lobbying campaign by a certain foreign OEM truck manufacturer (which does not produce glider kits) to gain an undue competitive advantage. "We will not stand by idly while a company and dealers in its network utilize inaccurate or false information in an effort to harm our business," said Fitzgerald Jr. "We care about our community and our employees and we will not allow people to put American jobs in jeopardy with half-truths and disinformation." Tommy Fitzgerald Sr. & Tommy Fitzgerald Jr.