In 2009, the Nebraska Transportation Center received a $1 million grant from the EPA to reduce diesel emissions from commercial trucks. Recently, the Transportation Center completed its project, fitting 273 trucks with auxiliary power units (APUs) to save nearly 300 gallons of diesel fuel per year.
Dr. Larry Rilett, the director of the Transportation Center and a civil engineering professor at UNL, maintained that there were three major ways this grant made a difference and kept diesel fuel emissions from negatively affecting the environment.
Fuel savings were one of the major ways this grant had an impact on the community.
"We have estimated total savings are 80 to 90 gallons total. In addition, the truck engines will last longer as they will not be in idle for long periods of time," Rilett said.
As the EPA stated in a 2005 study, about 22 pounds of carbon dioxide are emitted from a gallon of diesel fuel. Saving 80,000 to 90,000 gallons makes a difference in environmental standards. By working to reduce the amount of time a commercial truck idles, not only can truck drivers save money on fuel, but they are also able to keep their trucks in working condition longer. This means they are able to reduce the amount of harmful gas emissions that are released into the environment while trucks remain idle, sometimes as long as overnight.
The APUs that were installed on the commercial trucks will have a postitive impact on the environment.
"All of the trucks travel to many large cities, which are often in EPA non-attainment zones," Rilett said.
This means that all of the trucks that are outfitted with APUs are traveling in areas with poor air quality. However, with the APUs, the Transportation Center aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 1,000 tons, translating into massive health savings and a general cleaner air quality for the major cities.
Finally, these APUs have a huge impact on the truck drivers, and the other drivers who share the road with these commercial trucks.
"Many urban areas do not allow trucks to idle for longer than 5 to 15 minutes," Rilett said, and as a result, truck drivers are forced to rest without the truck running and allowing the weather conditions to take a toll on a truck driver's sleep quality. As Rilett put it, "The APUs will allow the drivers to rest in comfort, thereby allowing the drivers to be well-rested before resuming their travel."
Kenneth Winston, chapter Lobbyist for the Nebraska Sierra Club, agreed wholeheartedly.
"This is a really good deal because if you can have an auxiliary power unit that uses a fraction of the fuel, that's a reduction in emissions and also emissions produced in fuel and just all the costs that are involved," Winston said.
The Nebraska Sierra Club works as a grassroots advocacy that supports environmental conservation and change.
"I think it's a tremendous idea and I hope they can do it in more places," Winston said. "This could benefit everybody."
AdrienneAnderson@
DailyNebraskan.com
is a member of the 
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