Heads up! Come October, most truck diesels will start getting equipment designed to cut exhaust emissions more than ever before. In many cases, this will be exhaust gas recirculation, or EGR, which will be complex and expensive, and probably hurt fuel economy. If you're a company driver, this may affect what the boss buys next. If you're an owner-operator, you'll have something new to worry about, because EGR will cost you money.
Most domestic engine builders, including Mack, Cummins and Volvo, will go to EGR by Oct. 1, the effective date of the new rules. Some may start phasing in EGR before then. Some International-built diesels will have EGR, but Caterpillars will not. Cat has said it will use devices other than EGR, but its new "ACERT" engines probably won't be available until well after the deadline. Imports and light-duty diesels won't need EGR until January 2004.
EGR diesels will have extra equipment that will generate extra heat and need extra maintenance. The typical engine will have a special turbocharger, plumbing, valving, and a heat exchanger. Engine builders aren't saying what these things will cost, but I'm guessing that the price of a Class 8 truck will rise $2,000 to $3,000. A Cat diesel should cost somewhat less, but it's not clear right now if Cat will even sell engines past Oct. 1. We'll hear about that pretty soon.
One good thing is that the special turbo reacts quicker to the footfeed. That means you'll get better acceleration and the engine should pull better on an upgrade. At least that's what the builders say, and it was true in two EGR diesels I've driven – a Cummins ISM and an International HT530.
But more equipment invariably leads to more maintenance expense. There's little experience with EGR-ed truck or bus diesels, so we don't yet know how reliable they are or what they'll cost to keep running. They will almost certainly use a little more fuel than now. An O/O might not even notice it, or care. Little numbers add up to big ones for big fleets, though, and they are concerned.
Don Schneider of Schneider National has said he won't buy EGR diesels for a while. Instead, he'll keep trucks he has longer, and maybe buy late-model used trucks as needed. One or two other big fleet executives have said they'll buy only a few EGR engines and test them to get a better idea of how they perform. Still others will buy them because their businesses demand it.
If you're an O/O who buys used rather than new, you won't have to worry about getting an EGR diesel for a while. However, if fleets snap up a lot of late-model trucks this fall, the current glut may dry up and raise prices. So you'll pay more. And, in a year or three when you shop for a replacement, you may have to consider an EGR engine. What will you do?
If you plan to buy a new truck this fall, watch closely the news on engines and the Environmental Protection Agency's rules affecting them. If the EPA enforces the tighter emissions rules as it says it will, you may join what could be a rush to "pre-buy" new trucks without EGR. Sales could jump in late summer and early fall, as the deadline nears. That could push up prices.
If you or the company decide to hold off buying and instead keep present equipment a while longer, it shouldn't be a problem unless the truck is really old. Components these days should last 750,000 to 1 million miles, but various parts may need replacement along the way. You may have to take the truck into the shop more frequently and in the meantime watch it more closely.
There's an outside chance that Congress may delay the Oct. 1 deadline, as a few congressmen know about this situation and are concerned about it. But don't count on it, as the EPA has always prevailed in these matters. And besides, Congress and the Bush administration have other things to worry about, like the war on terrorism. So do your own worrying, and watching.
