Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-Texas) has introduced legislation offering financial incentives to encourage the trucking industry to aid in the nation’s drive for cleaner air by reducing engine idling.

Granger’s bill would provide the nation’s truckers federal income tax credits to purchase alternative power source devices and switch over to the device for power when a truck is stopped rather than running a truck’s main engine.
The "Idling Reduction Tax Credit Act of 2004" would allow a tax credit of up to $3,500 for each truck outfitted with equipment described as "idling reduction devices." The such units power essential truck functions such as cabin heating or cooling systems and trailer refrigeration units that are normally powered by the truck’s main diesel engine. The tax credit would pay for about half of the device’s full cost.
"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put scores of urban areas, including my district in the Fort Worth area, 'on notice' that the air has to be cleaned and soon. We must act immediately, and this legislation is a sensible step to meet this goal," Granger said.
"We have to attack the problem one source at a time. The trucking industry has been looking seriously at alternatives, and it makes good sense to encourage the use of affordable and proven technology to reduce pollutions generated by trucks.
"A federal tax credit that allows truck owners up to 50% of the cost of the alternative idling power source will have an immediate impact on our clean air goals," Granger said.
The American Trucking Assns. (ATA), the nation’s largest trucking industry trade group, supports the goal of Congresswoman Granger’s legislation. Bill Graves, ATA President and CEO, said "Given the constant financial pressures on trucking companies to comply with costly federal equipment mandates, a tax credit for new stationary power sources makes a lot of sense and should help encourage their use."
Under Granger’s legislation, the EPA and the Secretary of Energy would certify which of the alternative idle power devices meet appropriate standards to qualify for the tax credit.
Industry experts estimated that 15.5 million trucks operate in the U.S., with 1.9 million classified as tractor-trailer trucks that will benefit the most from tax credits proposed by Granger. Experts estimate that the trucking industry accounts for 12.8% of the motor fuel sold in the U.S. compared to automobiles and light vehicles that account for 63% of fuel consumption.