DOT has taken steps--commits to more--toward helping solve energy challenges

On Wednesday afternoon I addressed the Council on Competitiveness National Energy Summit & International Dialogue.

I was cheered to here Senator Mark Warner precede me at the Summit by reminding everyone that energy transformation is not a burden; rather, it is an opportunity. Transforming America's energy use will be a huge jobs creator and wealth creator for the next 25 years.

Now, the transportation sector accounts for nearly 1/3 of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, more than 50% of nitrogen oxide emissions, and almost 75% of our petroleum consumption. We need to change that profile-–and soon.

But making transportation sustainable is not the work of a day-–and DOT and industry will need help. Congress needs to pass comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation. We’ll also work with Congress to pass a transformational surface transportation reauthorization focused on reducing both our carbon emissions and our dependence on oil.

This will give the transportation sector the flexibility to work out the best combination of new technologies, new energy sources, and better operating procedures to efficiently and effectively reduce emissions while meeting the transportation needs of all Americans.

In the meantime, DOT has--with the White House and with other agencies--taken steps on several fronts to work toward more sustainable transportation.

• The CARS--or Cash for Clunkers--program, based on the cars traded in, improved fuel economy by 60%.
• DOT and EPA have announced a proposed rule setting aggressive new fuel and emission standards for cars and light-duty trucks, expected to conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil, save the average consumer more than $3,000 in fuel costs, and increase fuel economy by 5% a year.
• DOT, HUD and EPA have created a Livable Communities partnership to coordinate federal investments in transportation, housing, air quality, and water infrastructure, helping to reduce our carbon footprint while ensuring Americans have more housing choices near transit and greater access to jobs and vital services.
• Through the Recovery Act, DOT is revitalizing Amtrak and making historic investments in new high-speed, inter-city passenger rail service in key corridors around the country.
• For the first time in DOT history, we’re making $1.5 billion available for creative, intermodal projects that promote livability and sustainability in cities and towns across America.
• We’re taking a hard look at the best way to prioritize freight movement to minimize cost and energy while improving safety.
• Through our Marine Highways program, we’re looking at ways to move cargo from trucks onto barges traveling on our under-utilized waterways, wherever it makes sense to do so.

Our bottom line is clear. We need to keep our economy moving, and keep America growing and innovating-–but we’ve got to find new, more sustainable ways of doing it.

Look, we’re talking about transforming this country in ways we have not considered in a very long time. But, as Senator Warner said, that's a good thing. And, we don't exactly have a choice; our ability to compete and sustain our quality of life really depends on it.

I can promise that this DOT is--and will be--doing its part.

Comments

[Michael E. Bailey]

DOT is doing a huge part in helping create a more environmentally sensitive and more effiecient transportation system. Some of the transit grants were great examples of this and also prove that it is possible to create and operate an energy system that is free of emissions. Atlanta is using more electric powered busses and using solar energy canapies over its bus base bus bays to recharge the busses. The electric powered busses have zero emissions and the solar energy to recharge them has zero emissions. AC Transit in Oakland is using hydrogen power for some of its busses and using solar energy at the bus base to manufacture the hydrogen. The hydrogen exhaust is pure water vapor and the solar energy is zero emissions. This will make it easier for AC Transit to add more hydrogen powered busses. It will be easier for Atlanta to add more electric powered busses. The same systems would probably work for light rail and heavier commuter rail. Burlington Northern/Santa Fe already is using an all hydrogen powered switch locomotive in its Los Angeles yards. At least one transit agency is going to use wind power for its power source. It costs less to use clean fuels than it does dirty ones like diesel and gasoline. Zero emissions fueling and power is the wave of the future and it is starting now. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

[barry stoddard]

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was established as a separate administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000, pursuant to the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999.
Our primary mission is to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.

This would accomplish that mission and then some.


I am proposing a novel solution to the crowding of our Nations and Cities Hi-ways. The problem of idling trucks consuming fuel and spouting out green house gases for heating and cooling of the cabs for sleeping (approx 10 hours a day). Drowsy commercial truck drivers due to cheating on log books and pressure put on drivers by the companies for (HOT LOADS) and do whatever it takes attitudes. I do need strong support of our National Government to implement this novel solution to a complex problem.
Problems that would be solved: Major fuel savings for the nation for Trucks and (autos due to less truck traffic in rush hours), less green house gases from idling trucks, less crowded Hi-ways as most truck movement would occur at night and more efficiently in cities, increased productivity for cities (auto traveling public), safer hi-ways, drivers of children now at home enhancing the American family structure, less delinquent crime due to a working father missing from home, less divorce due to separation of the working parents. DOT participation on location, would ensure safer location to perform vehicle inspections without influencing traffic flow of hi-ways and delaying freight. Homeland Security could increase inspections, for homeland security of the commercial vehicles heading towards cities with higher threat levels, without major interruption of commercial traffic. I think less theft of goods while in route between shippers and receivers due to better surveillance of freight. Enabling drivers to have set sleeping schedules and not a rotating clock that is proving to be healthier and should make driver’s safer due to better sleep patterns.( day shift or night shift)
The concept: for a USATRUCKCO-OP to place in strategic locations approximately 200-300 miles from large cities and across the USA, very large trailer yards that would hold the large volume of semi-trailers crossing the USA. This concept would enable truckers to travel round trip on a daily basis and return home, or the drivers could just float from terminal to terminal if they so desired. Lodging could be located near these very large terminals for drivers choosing to float in the system. The CO-OP would ensure safe hi-ways for the public. Companies could exchange trailers to increase productivity between power units more efficiently due to driver shortages. An increased driver pool, due to home every night schedules for most commercial vehicles. The Federal government could make it mandatory or force all commercial truck not willing to join the co-op, to pay greater fees ( pollution compliance, idling and fuel savings) insuring that interstate trucking works within the CO-OP.



Increased fuel savings due to weight of power unit minus a sleeper (1500-2000 lbs) = more freight vs fuel usage. Decreased need for special truck lanes in heavy traffic routes. No need for team operations as a drop and turn system will beat a team operation on delivery time. (Team trucks have drowsy drivers, as I never drive with the same person for the last four years in a team operation, I do know the effects on different driver’s under these conditions (not safe for the public) but I’m not sure mile for mile if the safety record is worse (sleeper’s vs single man). The government (the FED) (IRS) (fuel taxes) would have a better understanding of the economy and what’s moving. Better control of truck traffic when weather or road conditions (accidents) could keep large traffic jams (idling trucks in traffic) from increasing.
Tax deductions allowed due to away from dwelling (approximately $58.00 a day) would no longer qualify to each driver. This would make this program cost neutral plus great savings to the Federal National Debt. The government would save about $2.7 Billion due to loss of daily food allowance of tax allowance.


.The cooperation between companies would be done with a web site: USATRUCKCO-OP.ORG. Information would be entered via the internet and would claim if certain loads are open to bids @ different CO-OP locations for power or driver shortages. Issuing UPC(or other tracking methods) codes on the outside of power units and trailers would insure quick tracking once they arrive @ any CO-OP location or customer’s site. The increased delivery time of freight for all shippers would be a major selling point. States with low traffic( @ certain time tables) could now pull double 53’ trailers increasing fuel efficiency.
.
I wanted to add that random drug and alcohol tests for driver’s would be ensured to run in a secured environment leaving the test to be done in a more centralized location, @ the co-op’s yards before driver’s go on duty.
Please Help the USA before it’s too late! Please reply ASAP with any questions as this is a basic outline for the concept.

The end result of this concept would be the creation of a 50 hour work week for interstate drivers, hence making more driving jobs because 1.2 million drivers would now work 50 hours a week instead of 70 hours making 300,00 permanent driving positions open for others.
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A. To increase the security of the USA through a system that would ease the complex problem of monitoring a very high risk option (large commercial vehicles) that could be used by a terrorist organization.

B. Decrea sing the fatalities of US citizens due to the inter-action between commercial vehicles and automobiles on Highways and Cities during high traffic volume.

C. Increase the efficiency (traffic flow) of our national hi-way system through the dispatch system while spending the smallest amounts of US Tax dollars for infrastructure projects that would spent to solve this problem.(EXPENSIVE TRUCK LANES)

D. Improve the delivery time of all US goods with an improved centralized dispatch system with fewer delays due to20poor planning and traffic. Decreasing false logging that drivers are known to engage in due to MPH calculations on logs. (Eliminating installation of expensive electronic logs for drivers).

E. Increase the efficiency empty trailer miles run by trucks. Lowering fuel cost to the entire CO-OP operation. This is a very large cost to all trucking companies. Total cost to the USA is in the Billions in productivity

F. Rail vs truck it is obvious that rail yards would work but our country is in fiscal distress. The USA must make federal spending very efficient and improvements on the rail system would be very costly as they are almost at full capacity, until the USA regains a manufacturing base in the USA we must spend our funds where they are the most productive. The whole rail system needs to be up graded (very expensive vs organizing the current system.

G. Increase in productivity due to lower wages giving to drivers that return on a daily basis, average wage is $16.00 and hour vs. $24.00 per hour for drivers that stay away from home.

H. The cost of the class A truck without a sleeper berth is a savi ngs between $30,000 to $20,000 vs. that of one with a sleeper birth cheaper costs for the interstate carrier.

I. Increase in Federal Tax dollars due to lower deductions available to over the road interstate commercial drivers using the formula $58.00 daily allowance multiplied 250 days away from dwelling multiplied number of interstate drivers multiplied by average tax rate for drivers of 25%. This does not calculate the savings that states would realize; fewer Federal dollars would be needed for road expenditures due to the savings the states would realize due to the implementation of such a project decreasing tax deductions for OTR drivers.

J. Put drivers on regular sleeping pattern and decrease the hours that drivers are on duty but not logging as such. This would decrease the chances of a drowsy driver behind the wheel of a commercial truck.

K. Easier motoring of truck speeds with dispatch times and arrival times not to exceed limits.

L. Decrease truck traffic backups at weigh stations and the merging of slow commercial trucks departing weigh stations on highways. Construction of longer exit and merging ramps @ co-ops insuring safer departure and merging speeds onto highways. Decrease the need for electronic pass for trucks (decrease costs for trucking companies installing expensive dispatch systems i n trucks. Those systems interfere with the driver’s sleep, as companies do not regard that the driver is sleeping and require that they respond to dispatch’s for the next load. This breaks the driver’s sleep increasing chances of drowsy driver.)

M Driver’s time talking on cell phones would be decreased due to home more often hence decreasing distraction while driving; this also includes conversations between freight brokers and drivers.

N. Increasing sight around the vehicle due that day cabs have a window in rear of cab unlike sleeper trucks; this would decrease blind areas and decrease side vehicle accidents due to poor vision of passenger car’s location.

O. Decrease overall length of commercial trucks due to wheel base lengths are longer on sleeper trucks enabling better maneuvering of truck hence safer.

P. Decrease chances of driver carrying firearm for protection as less likely to park in unsafe areas.





Thank-you

[Jim R Hyde Jr]

How about making it mandatory that all new trucks have APU's installed instead of relying on trucking companies to do it. 3.5 million trucks saving huge amounts of fuel from not having to idle. It seems a no brainer to me that these devices save fuel, money, environment, etc. and should be made a standard item, not just an option.

[Minneapolis Food Delivery Guy]

While this all looks good on the surface and the goals are honorable, I think that putting it in practice is going to be unhealthy, more government intervention equals less efficiency.

[Ford Heavy Trucks]

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is the premier organization for promoting the art, science, and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences to diverse communities throughout the world. ASME has dedicated itself to promoting and enhancing the technical competency and professional well-being of its members and, through quality programs and activities in mechanical engineering, to better enabling its practitioners to contribute to the well-being of humankind. ASME’s mission is “to serve our diverse global communities by advancing, disseminating and applying engineering knowledge for improving the quality of life and communicating the excitement of engineering.” ASME develops standards and certification programs that enhance public safety, and provides lifelong learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the engineering and technology community.

Elizabeth Cooper

[su deposu]

It seems a no brainer to me that these devices save fuel

[su deposu]

P. Decrease chances of driver carrying firearm for protection as less likely to park in unsafe areas.