Improving fuel standards for commercial trucks is a priority of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in an effort to cut down on emissions. For commercial trucking carriers improved fuel standards mean less money spent on fuel and higher profits.

Simply put, fuel efficiency is a priority of transportation and trucking officials alike, especially as the demand for trucking services is growing and expected to do so for many years to come.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement that looks to create new fuel standards for new trucks beginning in 2016, with voluntary compliance even sooner.  Increased domestic production and other factors are leading to increased demand on medium- and long-haul trucking, which has put higher interest on issues related to trucking.

However, as the government looks for new regulations to increase fuel efficiency, carriers are experimenting with a new generation of fleets that have higher miles per gallon and produce fewer emissions. Carriers are also looking for drivers that understand how safe and careful driving can cut down on fuel costs.

Carriers are looking for drivers with professional training in a wide variety of areas, including how to operate a vehicle in a way that maximizes fuel consumptions. Maintaining steady speed, not jack rabbiting at stop lights and taking the best route are all ways professional truck drivers can play a part in increasing fuel efficiency, which is especially important in a time of rising fuel costs.

With a strong future in trucking, many job-seekers are considering a career as a CDL trained truck driver.  With more trucks and drivers expected to hit the road in the near future, the government is looking for ways to adapt to the increase in traffic and offset the amount of emission that will be produced with so many new truck on the road.

According to the NHTS, long haul and heavy duty trucks account for 20- to 30-percent of fuel consumption in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s goal is to increase fuel efficiency by 25-percent for these trucks as more drivers hit the road over the next several years.

If you are looking for a new career and want a profession that is challenging, rewarding and offers good pay, then becoming a professional truck driver might be the right fit for you. Truck carriers are desperate for more drivers, but they want drivers that have professional training and more than just a CDL. At the Diesel Driving Academy students of the CDL training program are equipped to take the jobs available for professional truckers and are taught the skills that can lead to a long lasting and satisfying career in the trucking industry.