The Potential for Increased Emissions Due to the Electronic Logging Device Mandate
AAEA members release research in AEPP
In Spring 2024, the U.S. EPA finalized Phase 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) standards to reduce emissions in heavy-duty vehicles, including long-haul trucks. The 2019 U.S. DOT Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate, which better tracks and enforces long-haul truck driver hours on the road to improve transportation safety, will likely conflict with U.S. EPA and other federal efforts to reduce emissions from truck transportation.
In the recent article “The potential for increased emissions due to the electronic logging device mandate” published in the Applied Economic Perspectives & Policy, Shellye Suttles from Indiana University Bloomington, Tara Wade from the University of Florida, and Lurleen Walters an Independent Researcher discover the impact of the ELD mandate GHG emissions from food and agricultural truck transporation.
The authors say, “We find that refrigerated trucks are likely releasing more GHG emissions under the ELD mandate, which can affect how environmentally friendly it is to transport food and agricultural products on U.S. roadways. While our estimates show that the ELD mandate may initially increase GHG emissions, we're hopeful that the trucking industry will adapt to the rising fuel and labor costs caused by longer driving times.”
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ABOUT AAEA: Established in 1910, the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) is the leading professional association for agricultural and applied economists, with 2,500 members in more than 60 countries. Members of the AAEA work in academic or government institutions as well as in industry and not-for-profit organizations, and engage in a variety of research, teaching, and outreach activities in the areas of agriculture, the environment, food, health, and international development. The AAEA publishes three journals, the Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (an open access journal), the American Journal of Agricultural Economics and Applied Economic Perspectives & Policy, as well as the online magazine Choices and the online open access publication series Applied Economics Teaching Resources. To learn more, visit www.aaea.org.
Contact: Allison Ware
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