Let me establish some credentials here before I get to the meat of this piece. Two sets of bona fides, really. And I guess they’re diametrically opposed.

First, I drive an SUV with a V8 engine. And I love the thing. Love the rumble, love the grunt. Is it fuel-efficient? Hardly. Do I feel guilty? No, but I’m starting to think about a change.

And second, way back in the early 1970s, I launched a newsletter with a sociology professor friend of mine. The Canadian Environmental Newsletter to be specific, aimed at informing the mainstream press about environmental matters. The tree-hugger movement was almost non-existent, and people writing for the newspapers and TV/radio news broadcasts didn’t have a clue. So we aimed to inform them in the hope that they would in turn educate the unwashed masses.

So, in 1972 I’m on the cutting edge of the enviro movement, but in 2006 I’m getting maybe 20 mpg on the highway if I really cool it. What gives?
It’s complicated. But in a word, I lost the faith and came to the conclusion — erroneous in retrospect — that our shared environment was in better shape than the green fanatics were claiming. As far as the V8 is concerned, after a lifetime of driving mostly under-powered four-cylinder cars and tedious V6 vans, I decided that for once I deserved the pleasures of a big 4.7-liter motor. And I don’t regret it, though my next vehicle will definitely be more efficient.

Anyway, as I look at the world my children will inherit, I’m now convinced-once again-that we really are in deep trouble. More particularly I’m convinced that we in the trucking industry must act. And it’s not as if we’re without options.

This revised conclusion has been coming on gradually, and in some large measure I have Michelin to thank. Recently I enjoyed a few days in Paris where I was part of Michelin’s 6th annual Challenge Bibendum, 2006 version. I’ve been to three of the others.

It’s an extraordinary event, the pet project of the late Edouard Michelin who died a few weeks ago in a boating accident. It’s a huge effort to promote the ideals of ‘sustainable mobility’ and there’s nothing else like it — a three-day conference on the one hand, but also a monster display of future truck, car, and bus technologies representing some 150-plus manufacturers from literally all over the world.

The central idea is to create a massive exchange of information and opinion, all aimed at furthering the goal of hauling people and cargo with minimal impact on our increasingly fragile global environment. Michelin invited 500 international journalists to take part, and collectively we jumped head-first into the world of fuel cells and hybrid engines and biofuels and you name the technology for a few very intense days. Most of the vehicles on display — some of them very weird — were available for us to drive at a huge test track.

In any case, there’s an enormous amount of on-going activity — more than you might imagine — in the search for, among other things, either a replacement for fossil fuels or a means of reducing our consumption of them. For instance, I like Eaton’s hydraulic hybrid idea — a diesel plus two or three variations on the theme of converting wasted braking energy into stored hydraulic power. Perfect for garbage trucks, P&D machines, and maybe even long-haul rigs. Quite a few test machines are running now and you’ll see commercialization in 2008. Saves a whack of fuel.

I came back from Paris and a week later from Kalamazoo, Michigan to find the Canadian Trucking Alliance issuing its “14-point action plan to drastically reduce smog and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the freight transportation sector.” Not much new in there but it’s a good image builder, and I heartily endorse proposed measures such as a weight allowance for trucks sporting auxiliary power units and/or the extra weight of diesel particulate filters. I still can’t, on the other hand, support the 105 km/h speed limiter idea, which is part of the CTA plan. I think its effect on the industry’s overall fuel consumption would be minimal at best, with negative impacts elsewhere, but I seem to have been outvoted.

The sum total of all this blather is that I believe we must all do something. I also sense that many other non-tree-huggers are now on the same page, so I urge you to seek ways to reduce your company’s footprint on the environment we share. Look at hybrid power options. Investigate a heat pump to heat/cool your building. Get even smarter about routing your trucks. Don’t let anybody idle! Our options really are endless.