A new program rolled out last week in Maine will help truckers reduce their costs by $12,000 or more per rig, while improving air quality.


The program, sponsored by several state agencies, provides low-cost loans to trucking and other businesses for investments in energy-saving equipment. Truckers are already lining up for funds to purchase auxiliary power units, according to state officials.

"Energy costs are hurting the entire economy," said Gov. John E. Baldacci. "Businesses of every size are struggling to account for oil and gas prices that seem to set new records every day. We need our Maine truckers to stay on the road, and this initiative can help keep them rolling. This is a terrific example of state agencies working together to get something done for Mainers."

Baldacci hailed the program for providing much-needed relief for Maine's small trucking companies, which have been squeezed by diesel prices that have nearly doubled over the last year to more than $4 a gallon.

"These loans are available right now at 3 percent for small businesses in Maine and that can go a long way toward easing the pain of high energy prices," he said. "And the program has another important benefit -- reducing emissions from burning diesel fuel, which contribute to lung disease and global warming."

The initiative marks a significant expansion of a low-cost energy conservation loan program administered by the Maine Public Utilities Commission. Funds provided by the Finance Authority of Maine have boosted the loan cap to $250,000 for energy-saving equipment, including APUs, bunk heaters for truck cabs and other technologies.

In addition, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection plans to secure $100,000 in federal funds to be matched by the PUC funds, and dedicated to loans for APUs and other diesel pollution-reduction technologies.

"At today's diesel prices, I'll save enough to pay back the loan in 13 months," said Larry Sidelinger of Yankee Pride Trucking in Nobleboro. "After that I can use the savings to completely cover the payments on two of my trucks."

Sidelinger's company is one of two that took early advantage of the energy conservation loan program to secure APUs.

The conservation loans are available to small businesses in Maine for APUs and other energy-saving technologies. For more information, call Shirley Bartlett, Program Manager for State Energy Programs, at 207-287-3318. She can also assist small Maine businesses with a free energy audit to help them identify potential energy-saving investments.