The American Trucking Associations will not ask for a delay of 2007 diesel emissions requirements, according to ATA president and CEO Bill Graves.

Graves ruled out such a request today in a speech to the Japan International Transport Institute Seminar on Transportation and the Environment in Washington, D.C.
“Many environmental groups have been concerned that ATA will seek a delay in the implementation of the rule. I can tell you without reservation that ATA does not intend to challenge EPA’s diesel engine emission standards set to take effect on January 1, 2007,” Graves told the gathering.
Graves said that new engine standards introduced in October 2002 had not been properly tested and many companies refused to purchase those engines.
However, Graves explained, “2007 appears to be a different scenario completely. Engine manufacturers remain on schedule to have test engines in the hands of motor carriers well in advance of total implementation. We remain concerned about reliability of the engines and a potential loss of fuel economy, but these questions do not rise to the level of needing a delay in the rule.”
Graves said the ATA is exploring the possibility of financial incentives to motor carriers to purchase these engines.
“The cost on the new engines will be exponentially higher than today’s engines. We don’t want to see a repeat of the disruptions we witnessed in 2002. In March 2004, the U.S. Government Accountability Office suggested that incentives to the industry were one possible avenue to achieve the environmental success sought by EPA,” Graves said.