ARLINGTON, VA – According to Tommy Hodges, chairman of Titan Transfer, Inc. — headquartered in Shelbyville, Tenn.— Titan and the American Trucking Associations (ATA) have now committed themselves to doing something about the climate crisis. Hodges chaired the ATA’s high-level Sustainability Task Force, which brought together a cross section of the industry, including CEOs of major trucking companies and CEOs of engine manufacturers.
“Our industry is no stranger to cleaning up the atmosphere,” he said. “Over the past 20 years we have eliminated 90 percent of the particulates from diesel fuel and lowered nitrous oxide emissions through new technology. When we started trying to approach this problem of CO2 we had a background and an understanding of both what that could cost the industry and the practical application that would go with it. What we came up with were six major points that our executive committee unanimously bought into, without one dissenting vote.”
The six major points are:
· Calling for a national speed limit of 65 miles per hour for all cars and trucks, and requiring speed limiters on all new trucks to be set at 68 miles per hour or less.
· Decreasing idling.
· Increasing participation in EPA SmartWay.
· Reducing congestion.
· Figuring out ways to become more productive and to get more value out of every gallon of fuel burned.
· Supporting national fuel economy standards to work with the OEMs to come up with standards that help us get a better burn of fuel.
“We must always remember that 100 percent of the communities in this country are served by truck, and 80 percent are served only by trucks,” Hodges said. “So the people in every community depend on trucks. Trucks are here to stay, which is why our programs make common sense, they make economic sense, they make business sense, and above all they make environmental sense. They help lead the way to a cleaner tomorrow.”
Hodges is a vice chairman of the board of the American Trucking Associations of Arlington, Va. ATA represents more than 37,000 companies encompassing every type of motor carrier in the United States.
