Green But Costly
ing to a report published earlier this year by the American Trucking Assn. More good news is that DEF is a non-toxic solution, has a shelf life of up to 12 months and can be frozen and thawed and still used. It's clear, colorless and odorless. Retail prices are dependent on global urea pricing, with costs expected to vary from $2 to $6 per gal-lon depending on bulk purchase. Availability shouldn't be an issue, with surveys showing DEF will be widely stocked and sold. Cummins issued a report in mid-summer stating it will have DEF available at 20,000 distribution points in North America, includ-ing 2,500 retailers (and that's just Cummins). DEF's 32.5 percent urea-purified water solution is corrosive to aluminum and carbon steel, and DEF storage tanks should contain no carbon steel, zinc, nickel or copper, or should be made of a certified composite plas-tic. If stored between 10° and 90° F, the DEF solution should last at least a year; extended storage over 86° F reduces shelf life. Yet an SCR system adds another level of complexity to a highly engineered, heavy-duty diesel OTR rig, including a DEF reservoir, pump and controller system, along with catalyst. Most new engines fea-ture an in-cab SCR monitoring and diag-nostic system, thanks to an EPA require-ment to have a visual or audible warning system when the DEF tank runs low. Newly compliant SCR-equipped engines with monitoring systems will automatically increase exhaust stream treatments of DEF if the engine is running with high NOx emis-sions. According to an American Trucking Associations (ATA) report, most engine man-ufacturers foresee a 2 percent-3 percent DEF treatment rate compared to amount of diesel consumed roughly 1 gallon of DEF required for every 300 miles on the road at 6 MPG. Another recent ATA report projects around 400 gallons of DEF consumed annually by trucks that cover 120,000 miles a year, and that most on-board DEF tanks will range from 15-30 gallons. Clean Air at a Cost So once again Alabama and America's truckers are doing their part for clean air and they're sure paying for their efforts. According to a report by James Cade, vice president of maintenance and purchasing for FTT Frederick Thompson Trucking that was published in August at daimler-trucks-northamerica.com, he's seen new vehicle prices rise by as much as $7,000 per unit from 2002 to 2009. The actual costs associated with required emission changes are far exceeding all esti-mates, Cade wrote, noting a 2008 spring ATA technology and maintenance council meeting where large fleet owners shared actual operating costs (acquisition, repairs and fuel) that in many cases were more than 300 per-cent higher than EPA estimates. The additional emissions controls systems are also taking a toll on tare weight, Cade added, estimating that a 2010 EPA-compliant vehicle will weigh roughly 1,000 lbs. more than a pre-2002 EPA compliant vehicle. This reduces payloads and also adds to costs. Overall, Cade noted that he's seen an almost 20 percent increase in new vehicle acquisition cost due to the escalating 2002-2010 emissions regulations. As most will tell you, we have not seen a corresponding increase in rates during the same period of time. Some Alabama truckers will lay low and hold off buying 2010-compliant vehicles until they have to. Others will wait a half-year to see how the new technologies are performing. Yet eventually all Alabama truckers will have to incorporate 2010 compliant technologies into their operations as they buy new rigs in the years to come. Dan Shell is a freelance writer based in Montgomery. He may be reached at dan@hatton-brown.com. ATA_4Q09.qxp 11/25/09 08:59 AM Page 6