OTTAWA, Ont. — A new study from Environment Canada shows heavy trucks are now superior to railway locomotives in terms of environmental performance.

According to David Bradley, chief executive officer of the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), “the study dispels many of the myths surrounding the negative impacts of trucks on the environment.”

This latest study, conducted for Environment Canada by Gordon Taylor, and entitled ‘Trucks and Air Emissions’ shows on a per unit basis, truck emission rates are lower than locomotive emission rates for some of the dirtiest emissions — notably particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) — in constant load tests.

The study also makes clear simple modal comparisons of the kind often espoused by railway advocates, are faulty because of the complexity of the transport chain.

According to the study authors, “while rail has usually been found to be the most energy efficient or lowest emitter on single long-distance links, this type of route represents only a small portion of the total transport flow and the finding ignores the distribution issues at the rail end points.”

It was also noted how simple comparisons of truck and rail fuel efficiencies do not take into consideration such critical factors as the nature of the cargo, route direction, service speed and shipment loss/damage.

The Environment Canada report ‘Trucks and Air Emissions’ can be downloaded from CTA’s Web site at www.cantruck.com and is available in both English and French.