Canadian truckers tout environmental benefits of double trailers
A study from the Canadian Trucking Alliance says it confirms that double trailer towing can reduce climate-change emissions and improve highway safety.
The two-year study compared data from 10 fleets that operate both single trailers and what is commonly referred to as a "turnpike double." Conclusions from the study say turnpike doubles:
- Are safer based on per-vehicle-kilometer-of-travel comparisons.
- Can save average of 28.8 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers of travel compared single trailers moving same volume of weight.
- Can reduce the number of trucks on the road by 6-10 percent.
All I can go on is information found in a news releases. Critics haven't responded or had time to review the study's data. But most motorists have an opinion on turnpike doubles based on their own experiences. From a strictly environmental standpoint, they make sense. They reduce the number of vehicles on the road, so there is a possibility that the overall effect is safer. But I've been to Australia a couple times and encountered "road trains" in the bush country, and it's absolutely frightening to see a massive tractor pulling three huge trailers coming at you on a two-lane road.
If they're kept on Interstates, turnpike trailers may have a legitimate role in helping reduce emissions. I would suggest that any diesel pulling a double trailer must be 2007 or later and running some form of biodiesel as a gesture that it's the cleanest possible method of transportation and an incentive to fleets to modernize their inventory and truck stops to offer biofuels. Despite the benefits, there will be considerable emotion playing into any regulatory decision that might open up more highways to double trailers or allow expanded use.
[Source: Webwire]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 1:05PM (4/26/2007)
Let's compare them to trains...
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Peter 12:33PM (4/27/2007)
I'd love to see trucks taken off the road and their freight put onto trains. For 2-3 times more fuel you can carry 200-300 times more freight. Not to mention removing the biggest cause of damage to road surfaces and removing the most ignorant and dangerous drivers on the road. Trucks to trains, sounds like a really good idea to me.
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Don 3:07AM (5/18/2009)
Removing trucks from the roads will kill, not cripple, KILL the economy of every country on planet Earth.
I defy you to name a single item you use today that did not reply on trucks to get from point A to point B. In addition, just imagine the hassles of a rail tankcar being spotted in your local gas station, or a few box cars being spotted at your local grocer... Then imagine all the rail lines runnig through your city to service these stores, and the noise, pollution, and general inconveniences that would go along with it. Not to mention the price increases in just about everything, since supply would never meet demand. For example, fresh fruits, meats and vegetables would become a thing of the past, as rail transportation could never make it from the plant to the market before the produce and meat started to spoil.
Chris M 6:33PM (4/27/2007)
Yes, it would be nice to remove "the most ignorant and dangerous drivers on the road", but that's not the professional truckers.
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