Abstract:

This study analyzes policies that California, the United States, and Canada have enacted to promote reduced GHG emissions from heavy-duty trucks, how these policies have impacted technology deployment, and lessons that Canada can take as it evaluates policy options to accelerate the deployment of fuel- and GHG-reduction technologies in its trucking fleet.

The analysis shows that California stands apart in three key policy areas: 1) regulation for trucking fleets that requires the use of tractor-trailer efficiency technologies, 2) regulations that will require the sales and purchase of zero-emission commercial trucks, and 3) incentive and financing programs to support the adoption of fuel-saving and electrification technologies. As a result of these policies, the analysis from this study suggests that trailers operating in California have higher adoption rates of aerodynamic devices. In addition, in the nascent zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle market, California represents 42% of zero-emission buses and trucks sold in the United States and Canada. 

This study suggests that a regulatory program aimed at increasing the uptake of tractor-trailer efficiency technologies in Canada could provide significant fuel use and GHG emissions benefits while yielding an attractive return on investment for trucking fleets.