Diesel Technology Forum: 57% of all commercial diesel trucks on the roads in US are near-zero emissions models

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 emissions trucks are diesel vehicles with advanced technology that were manufactured between 2010 and the latest model year.

According to DTF’s analysis of S&P Global Mobility TIPNet Vehicles in Operation Data as of December 2022:

• 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.

• The total number of commercial trucks (class 3-8) is more than 15 millions. 75.6% of them are diesel powered, followed by gasoline (22.9%), compressed natural gas (0.46%), other (ethanol fuel cells, LNG, propane, 0.85%) and electric (0.09%).

• 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.

• There is a growing number of diesel trucks with near-zero emission technology. They make up 57% all diesel commercial trucks (Class 3-8) on the road today. 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).

• The majority of diesel commercial trucks (Class 3-8) are newer than 2007 and equipped with particulate filtering systems to achieve near zero emissions.

• Indiana has the highest registration rate of diesel trucks with near-zero emission (73.2%) for models 2010 and newer. Utah is next in the ranking (66.2%), followed by Pennsylvania (65.4%), Texas (63.6%), Oklahoma (62.6%), Florida (62.3%), Illinois (60.6%), Louisiana (59.2%), Wisconsin (59.1%), the District of Columbia (65.4%), Pennsylvania (66.2%), Oklahoma (63.6%), Texas (63.6%), Florida (62.3%), Illinois (60.6%), Louisiana (59.2%), Wisconsin (59.1%). California trails the national average by 35 percentage points.^Th Spot (51.6%)

• California has 125 times as many new-generation advanced diesel trucks than there are 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. For every electric truck, there are approximately 1,100 internal combustion engine-powered trucks on the roads.

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. While the trucking industry is exploring new fuels such as all-electric and fuel cell technologies, it’s clear that diesel engines and other internal combustion engine will continue to dominate for many years.

—Allen Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Forum

Over the past 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 NO_x Emissions by up to 80% more than current models.

Decarbonizing our economy will require time and many different solutions. There isn’t a one-size or one-fuel fits all answer. To achieve climate goals, it is equally important to accelerate the turnover of existing fleets, continue improving internal combustion engines, and use low-carbon renewable fuels.

—Allen Schaeffer