dirty trucks

richkae · Jun 27, 2013

Is anybody else sick and tired of the fact that there are almost no pollution controls on industrial vehicles?
I was behind a truck today that constantly belched black smoke, and it seems like most of them are like that - and that one of those produces more pollution than a thousand cars.

I bet that the share of pollution from industrial vehicles has steadily grown over the last 30-40 years, as passenger vehicles have gotten cleaner but little has been done for industrial vehicles. As much as I believe in EVs, I bet that there is probably significantly more bang for the buck getting cleaner air in cleaning up industrial vehicles.

Can anyone provide data? Is there actually improvement on the horizon? Are there little known efforts we need to support?

AudubonB · Jun 27, 2013

That's a little strange, in fact, Rickhae. Are you in the US? Because MOST states have very stringent regulations on commercial trucks and the amount of black-smole-belching vehicles has diminished to the point of non-existence quite a few years ago. It is the odd truck that still does that. But that said, the soot factor - which is what is visible to you and me - is about the least noxious of the cocktail of emissions of any internal combustion engine. In fact, that soot does a good deal at mitigating the acid-rain causing components of other emission products.

Any way, it would be interesting to know where you spotted that.

richkae · Jun 27, 2013

I'd be very happy to be proven wrong - it was not an interstate 18 wheeler, it was smaller - probably a class 5 or 6 with one dual axle in back. Not new.
Are the regulations only on new vehicles, or are there tests that they must pass every few years like passenger cars?

I'm in Seattle, and was behind it on the local highway. I changed lanes to let the SUV behind me tailgate it instead of me - hoping that it would slurp up some of the soot.

apacheguy · Jun 27, 2013

AudubonB said:
...the amount of black-smole-belching vehicles has diminished to the point of non-existence quite a few years ago. It is the odd truck that still does that. But that said, the soot factor - which is what is visible to you and me - is about the least noxious of the cocktail of emissions of any internal combustion engine.

Umm, this is simply not true. In CA where we have the most stringent standards of any state regarding diesel trucks, there are plenty that still belch smoke. Just take a nice drive down the 5 freeway and you will see what I mean.

Secondly, soot is a HUGE problem because of health effects and their contribution to in-situ heating of our atmosphere. Indeed, soot accelerates and exacerbates climate change. By any means, soot is one of the most harmful pollutants emitted by vehicles.

Discoducky · Jun 27, 2013

Was thinking about this other day while behind a new hybrid garbage truck. I wonder how often those older trucks get emissions checked or have to update their exhaust systems? My guess is not often enough

wycolo · Sep 23, 2013

Diesel pickups can be 'plated' or 'chipped' easily to increase power. Then abused by retards simply to produce massive amounts of smoke at every turn or stoplight. Cops look the other way in many cases even when the truck is doing no useful work, just showing off. Kids!

Commercial semis otoh are very clean burning by design and near impossible to mess with. If you spot one smoking likely it is limping to a place to pull over for emergency repair. Over-pressing the accelerator is not possible since launch is automatically controlled in the semis ('PowerShift' schemes).
--

Search

dirty trucks

richkae

VIN587

AudubonB

One can NOT induce accuracy via precision!

richkae

VIN587

apacheguy

S Sig #255

Discoducky

P100DL, 2021 M3, 4 CT reservations and counting

wycolo

Active Member

Similar threads