Washington, D.C. – The American Trucking Association (ATA) has launched a program of initiatives to set the industry on the road toward a more sustainable future. The first-ever, industry-wide environmental sustainability program identifies a series of initiatives that will reduce fuel consumption and reduce CO2 emissions.

“ATA has committed itself to a series of measure that can reduce fuel consumption by 86 billion gallons and CO2 emissions by 900 million tons for all vehicles over the next ten years,” said ATA president and CEO Bill Graves. “Our proposals are practical, reasonable and doable. They make environmental sense, and they make common sense. The program is a continuation of environmental advances made by the trucking industry over the last quarter-century. But there’s no doubt that today’s skyrocketing diesel prices give us an added incentive to roll it out across the industry, and for Congress to provide the support the program needs.”

The report includes six key recommendations: introduce governors on new trucks to limit speeds to no more than 68 mph (109 km/h) and reduce the national speed limit to 65 mph (104 km/h) for all vehicles; reduce engine idling; increase fuel efficiency by encouraging participation in the U.S. EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership Program; reduce congestion by improving highways, by raising the fuel tax if necessary; use more productive truck combinations; and support national fuel economy standards for trucks.