Fort Dodge, Iowa-based Decker Truck Line Inc. has announced it will participate in the “Two Million Mile Haul,” a B20 Field Documentation Program.

The fuel impact study will compare soy biodiesel to regular petroleum diesel in an over-the-road Class 8 truck fleet. The experiment will be the “first-ever comprehensive study to analyze and publicize the benefits of using soy biodiesel,” said Dale Decker, industry and government relations director for Decker Truck Line Inc.
Decker Truck Line will use 20 new trucks. Ten of them will be powered by traditional petroleum-based diesel. A mixture of 20 percent soy biodiesel and 80 percent traditional diesel will fuel the other 10. The trucks will run matching routes and carry matching loads. Data on the trucks will be measured and compared at Iowa Central Community College. According to Don Heck, Iowa Central’s biotechnology and biofuels technology programs coordinator, engine wear, mileage, fuel consumption and the number of repairs will be measured.
In about two years the trucks will have collectively racked up about 2 million miles, according to Decker. At that point, the company said, the study will end and Decker will report the results.