Cascade Sierra Solutions, a non-profit organization in Coburg, Ore., has rolled out a rebate program to finance fuel saving equipment on tractors and trailers for New England truck owners.

Through the "Great SmartWay Rebate Program," truck owners in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut will have the opportunity to receive rebates ranging from $100 up to $1,000.

Rebate vouchers and low-interest financing is available to help truck owners outfit their trucks with clean technologies such as idle-reduction, aerodynamic improvements, low rolling resistance tires and exhaust filtration. Transport Refrigeration Units (TRUs) are also eligible for repowers and replacements when the old unit is scrapped.

Funding for the rebate program came from the U.S. EPA Region 1 (New England) as part of the Recovery Act/Clean Diesel funding. CSS was awarded over $1 million for this region.

To be eligible for the program, trucks must meet the following criteria:

* Heavy-duty diesel trucks must be physically based and operating in the six New England states

* Upgraded tractor and/or trailer must be owned or on a lease-to-own basis, and the equipment must have at least five years of projected useful life remaining to qualify for upgrades

* The program is open to independent owner-operators as well as fleets, but any single participating company is limited to less than 10 percent of the program funding

More info: https://csswebform.org