Reaction to President Obama's call for tighter carbon dioxide emissions rules for trucks poured in quickly with the first wave of comment generally offering approval, although there were also calls for caution, including from American Trucking Associations.
"We stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the president and his administration in 2011 when the historic first fuel efficiency standards were set for heavy-duty vehicles," ATA President Bill Graves said. "As we begin this new round of standards, ATA hopes the administration will set forth a path that is both based on the best science and research available and economically achievable."
"Trucking is a very diverse industry," said ATA Chairman Philip Byrd Sr., president of Bulldog Hiway Express in Charleston, S.C., in the same Feb. 18 statement. "Whatever standards the administration sets should reflect that diversity, and whatever tests are devised should accurately reflect what drivers face on the roads every day."