Analysis of a study by S&P Global Mobility shows the number of new near-zero emission diesel trucks on the road in the US increased 10.2% between 2021 and 2022, according to the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF). Near-zero emission vehicles are the advanced diesel technology produced in 2010 and later model year.
According to DTF’s analysis of S&P Global Mobility TIPNet Vehicles in Operation Data as of December 2022:
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Diesel dominates trucking: 95.4% of the largest commercial trucks in operation (Class 8), which are model years 2010 or later, are diesel-advanced technology. 2.1% are CNG and 0.3% are electrical, with the rest being gasoline or other fuels.
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More than 15 million commercial trucks in the Class 3-8) are powered by diesel (75.6%), gasoline (22.9%), compressed natural gas (0.46%), other (ethanol (fuel cell, LNG and propane, 0.85%), and electric (0.09%).
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Illinois has the highest growth rate in the registration of Class 8 trucks with advanced diesel technology. This is up by 4.6% from December 2021 to December 2022.
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They are increasing in number. Today, 57% of commercial diesel trucks (Class 3-8) are equipped with this technology. These trucks have particulate filters, selective catalytic systems (SCR), and other technologies that allow them to achieve emissions levels close to zero. That’s a 10.2% increase in one year (2022 vs. 2021).
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65.7% all diesel trucks on the road (Class 3-8), are from 2007 or newer. They are also equipped with particulate filters to achieve almost zero particulate emissions.
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Indiana has the highest registrations (73.2%) of diesel trucks with near-zero emissions. Utah is next in the ranking (66.2%), followed by Pennsylvania (65.4%), Texas (66.2%), Oklahoma (62.6%), Florida (62.3%), Illinois (60.6%) and Wisconsin (59.1%). California trails the national average by 35 percentage points.The th Spot (51.6%)
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In California, there are 125 more advanced diesel trucks of the new generation on the roads than electric trucks.
Nearly seven million diesel trucks with new technology are currently on the road, transporting our goods and providing services at near-zero emission levels. Nearly 1,100 commercial trucks powered by internal-combustion engines are on the road for every one electric.
According to this most recent analysis, internal combustion engines (diesel, gasoline, natural gas, and propane) power about 99.91% of the nation’s trucking fleet. The trucking industry continues to explore new fuels including electric and fuel cells technology. However, diesel and internal combustion engines will still play a major role in the coming years.
—Allen Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Forum
Over the last decade diesel technology has transformed fundamentally. Advancements have led to near-zero emission vehicles starting with the model year 2010. Its continued dominance in trucking reflects diesel’s record of continuous improvement and low-cost operation. The next generation of diesel—emerging in California in 2024 and other parts of the country in 2027—will further reduce NOx The new model will emit emissions up to an additional 50%-80% compared to current models.
Decarbonizing our economy will require time and many different solutions. There isn’t a one-size or one-fuel fits all answer. Accelerating the turnover of an existing fleet, improving internal combustion engine technology and using low-carbon, renewable fuels are just as important for achieving meaningful climate goals as zero emission vehicles.
—Allen Schaeffer