Perspectives on Sustainable Transport
– Truck Productivity –
Presented to
Swedish House Seminar Series
Moving the World: The Future of Freight
Transportation
John Woodrooffe
December 1, 2010
Safety
Sustainable Transport
Efficiency
*Policy*
Slide 2
Present time
Sustainability Index
Contributions to sustainable transport
Policy
Federal,
State,
Company,
Individual
Safety
Operational Efficiency
Time
Slide 3
OECD Truck Benchmarking Study
“Moving freight in better trucks”
Compared the most common “workhorse” trucks
and various high and very capacity vehicles from
participating countries in terms of:





Road wear performance
Impact on road structures
Safety performance (with a focus on vehicle design)
Productivity (in terms of mass and volume)
Environmental impacts (emissions, energy
consumption)
Slide 4
Defining truck productivity
Productivity – how much freight can
be hauled in a particular vehicle
Note: Truck cargo capacity is limited by weight
or volume (depends on freight density)
Slide 5
Steady State Energy Balance
Total energy used per hour
(90 km/h, 44 tonne, level road for one hour)
343 kWh
Aerodynamic Losses
53 kWh
Engine losses
200 kWh
Rolling Resistance
65 kWh
Drive train
10 kWh
Auxiliary loads
15 kWh
Slide 6
Towards sustainable
productivity
Move as much freight as possible per
power unit more safely than the current
fleet with less infrastructure consumption
Slide 7
Workhorse vehicle
Country
Steer
Drive
Tridem
GVW
Productivity
advantage
(lbs)
(lbs)
(lbs)
(lbs)
South Africa
16,060
39,600
52,800
108,460
39%
Mexico
14,300
42,900
49,500
106,700
35%
Denmark
17,600
35,200
52,800
105,600
33%
Canada
12,100
37,400
52,800
102,300
27%
Australia
13,200
37,400
49,500
100,100
23%
UK
13,970
35,310
47,500
96,800
17%
USA
12,000
34,000
42,000
88,000
----
Assumed empty weight 35,000 lbs
Slide 8
Workhorse vehicle
North American context
Country
GVW
Payload
(lbs)
(lbs)
Productivity
advantage
Mexico
106,700
71,700
35%
Canada
102,300
67,300
27%
88,000
53,000
--
USA
Assumed empty weight 35,000 lbs
Slide 9
Key Message
Truck productivity is limited by
policy not technology
Slide 10
LCV
Progressive operations policy can yield
substantial societal benefit
53 ft standard trailer
53 ft standard trailer
Slide 11
What can advanced LCV policy do
(on a per vehicle basis)
System category
Benefit Estimate
Improved productivity
YES
44%
Improved safety
YES
2.5 to 5 times*
Reduced fuel consumption
YES
32%
Reduced emissions
YES
32%
Reduced infrastructure consumption
YES
40%
Reduced VMT
YES
44%
Reduced shipper cost
YES
29%
Source: Assessments of Alberta LCV Program- Montufar et.al 2007, Woodrooffe et.al. (2001)
Slide 12
Size and weight policy is
frozen by politics
To the extent possible let
science guide policy
Slide 13
Suggested policy changes for improved
productivity and sustainability
 Bring tandem and tridem axle loads more in
line with international limits


Tandem from 34,000 lbs to 37,000 lbs
Tridem from 42,000 lbs to 50,000 lbs
 Remove the arbitrary 80,000 lb cap on the
Federal Bridge Formula
 Update the bridge formula – it is antiquated
Slide 14
Conclusions
 Truck productivity is limited by policy not
technology
 Truck size and weight regulations directly
influence transport productivity, efficiency, fuel
use and emissions output
 Such regulations represent a tool that not only
protects the infrastructure but also encourage
vehicles that provide significant societal benefits
Slide 15
Thank You
Slide 16