WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States depends on oil to power 92 percent of its cars, trucks, ships and aircraft. This near-exclusive reliance represents an imminent threat to our national and economic security, as the government spends an estimated $67.5 billion annually to protect the flow of oil around the world, and consumers and businesses are forced to pay whenever conflict or supply disruptions send the price of crude rocketing skyward.
Medium- and heavy-duty trucks, the backbone of our cargo economy, are responsible for over 20 percent of total U.S. oil transportation demand. Eighty percent of this is attributable to heavy-duty trucks. Opportunities to increase the efficiency of our trucking fleet must be seriously considered if we are to reduce our dependence on oil. By putting twin 33’s on the national road network, the industry can save an estimated 204 million gallons of fuel per year, an important step in cutting that dependence. Furthermore, the new trailers will avoid the need for 6.6 million truck trips nationwide—a 1.3 billion-mile reduction in truck traffic—putting fewer trucks on the road and reducing impacts on our infrastructure. These improvements come without increasing existing weight limits. With parcel delivery rapidly outpacing traditional mail, it is not the weight, but the cubic feet that is needed.
In addition to maximizing American energy production, the U.S. needs to lower oil intensity through reduced demand—driven by increased efficiency and the deployment of alternative fuels like electricity and natural gas—as part of a long-term U.S. energy security strategy to insulate the nation from the negative effects of the often-volatile global oil market. SAFE supports allowing twin 33’ trailers to operate across the country is as an integral part of this goal and encourages Congress to support legislation to make it happen.
About Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE)
Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) is a nonpartisan organization that aims to reduce America’s dependence on oil and improve U.S. energy security to bolster national security and strengthen the economy. SAFE advocates for expanded domestic production of U.S. oil and gas resources, continued improvements in fuel efficiency, and in the long-term, breaking oil’s stranglehold on the transportation sector through alternatives like natural gas for heavy-duty trucks and plug-in electric vehicles. In 2006, SAFE joined with General P.X. Kelley (Ret.), 28th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, and Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President, and CEO of FedEx Corporation, to form the Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC), a group of business and former military leaders committed to reducing U.S. oil dependence.
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