Toward Sustainable Trucking: Reducing Emissions and Fuel Consumption

A trucking company president recently exclaimed: “Life is not trucking, but trucking is life.” Indeed, the goods that support North American lifestyles today are mostly delivered by trucks. Trucking also employs large numbers of people, burns billions of gallons of fuel, and produces tremendous tonnage of harmful emissions. This article combines the literature with lessons from green transportation leaders to identify four themes regarding movement toward sustainable trucking: (1) there are many ways to reduce emissions and fuel consumption; (2) many of these methods require substantial capital investment; (3) collaboration among the relevant stakeholders is needed to move forward; and (4) ultimately people—such as consumers, truck drivers, owner-operators, and taxpayers—will determine the future of trucking.