Are enormous trucks greener than plain old big trucks?
We all know that a SUV uses more gas than a sedan. So it should come as no surprise that your typical shipping truck uses a boatload of petroleum. British officials are trying to figure out how to cut down on carbon trucking-related carbon emissions, and one proposed solution seems a bit counterintuitive at first glance: use bigger trucks.Sure, bigger trucks will pollute more than smaller trucks. But they also carry more cargo, which in the long run means fewer trucks on the road.
The UK Department for Transport is thinking about trying out some special trucks called LHVs, which stands for longer, heavier vehicles. While the average truck is 54 feet long and weighs 44 tons, an LHV is typically about 80 feet long and weighs 60 tons. The trucks usually have two trailers on one rig, and can carry about 60 percent more traffic than a typical truck with only a 30 percent boost in weight. And that means 2 LHVs on the road will result in lower emissions than 3 regular sized trucks.
[via Environmental Graffiti]
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