ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Private Truck Council has approved an informal technical proposal to conduct a study on the benefits of larger trucks operated by private truck fleets.

"We hope to establish beyond a shadow of doubt that increasing the truck size-and-weight limits will result in better and more efficient use of commercial motor vehicles," said Gary Petty, NPTC president and CEO.

The study, to be conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, is designed to benchmark the current transportation efficiency by looking at the operations of archetypal private fleets.

The parameters to be used to define efficiency improvements will focus on over-the-road operating costs, cargo transported, miles traveled and safety performance. It will also include a measure of fuel use, emissions output and truck trips that are required to fulfill the individual companies’ annual transportation responsibilities.

A coalition of for-hire truck associations, shippers and manufacturers is also currently lobbying Congress for a pilot project that would see larger trucks operating in select states. But that campaign has received stiff opposition from protectionist and special interest groups.

Meanwhile, at its annual conference, the NPTC presented its F.L.E.E.T. Leadership Awards, co-sponsored by Heavy Duty Trucking/Newport Communications.

The Private Fleet Executive of the Year, NPTC’s highest individual award, went to Haig R. Dikijian, safety program director for Verizon Logistics. Its annual Allied Member of the Year Award winner was Brian McLaughlin, executive vice president for PeopleNet.