A high percentage of fleet operators recently surveyed by the California clean transportation consortium CALSTART generally support higher national fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, reported Natural Gas Intelligence.

According to the report, 87 percent of fleet operators surveyed support increased fuel economy rules, while 89 percent said they would pay more upfront for fuel economy technology if it led to overall savings even though fleet operators cited higher technology cost as their biggest worry regarding fuel economy rules.

The report concluded that proposed higher fuel efficiency standards will result in savings for fleet-dependent businesses, even when more money must spend more up front to purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles. However, the report found that fleet operators are concerned about maintenance costs and reliability, and seek better data from manufacturers regarding these areas.

CALSTART's report, "Higher Fuel Economy – Working for Fleets," was released at a hearing held by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Long Beach, Calf., to get feedback about their jointly proposed fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emission standards for trucks.

Click here to access the report.