TORONTO, Ont. — The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) says Ottawa should pay attention to two US studies that support CTA proposals.

The first was a study on aerodynamics conducted by the Truck Manufacturers Association and US Department of Energy. The study found that if all US trucks were fitted with aerodynamic tools such as side skirts, boat tails and new side mirror designs, fuel efficiency would improve by 10%, saving a billion gallons of diesel fuel per year.

The study found that for every 2% reduction in drag, theres a 1% improvement in fuel economy.

Meanwhile, the US National Biodiesel Board released a study that showed one-third of biodiesel sampled in the US was out of spec’ due to incomplete processing. This demonstrates enforcement agencies must take action against those who aren’t producing biodiesel at a high standard, the CTA warns.

“Our Clean Air Act plan identifies the fuel efficiency benefits that would be associated with removing outdated regulatory obstacles to the introduction of non-payload aerodynamic devices,” pointed out CTA leader David Bradley. “We are also urging governments in Canada to ensure that our operational concerns arising from a biodiesel mandate are addressed including the introduction of regulated standards and enforcement protocols.”