350,000 miles into the Two Million Mile Haul, a road test pitting B20 biodiesel against petroleum diesel fuel, the B20 is smelling like a rose. Based on oil analysis and other observations, Decker Truck Line reports cleaner engine oil and reduced engine wear and maintenance. Decker also reported no problems using biodiesel in cold weather, even when temperatures dropped into the frozen single digits.
For the test, Decker is running 20 new Peterbilt 379s, 388s, and 389s, carrying matching loads on matching routes, from Fort Dodge, Iowa to either Chicago or Minneapolis. Ten are running on petroleum diesel; the other ten are running on a B20 blend containing 20 percent soy biodiesel. All trucks tested are powered by Caterpillar C13 or C15 engines built to meet EPA 2004 and EPA 2007 emissions levels.
Other partners in the Two Million Mile Haul include Caterpillar, the Iowa Soybean Association, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Iowa Central Community College, and the Renewable Energy Group.
The comparison, which is based on engine wear, mileage, fuel consumption and the number of repairs, focuses on business benefits as well as the impact on emissions. "What we've observed so far," said Industry and Government Relations Director Dale Decker, "is great performance in the particularly cold winter we just experienced, and reduced maintenance and engine wear benefits that equal or outweigh the slightly higher cost of the biodiesel blend." Decker has worked closely with the National Biodiesel Board to home in on B20 blends optimized for cold weather to avoid fuel filter clogging.
National Trucking Company's Biodiesel Study Shows Positive Results [Green Car Congress, Two Million Mile Haul, TruckingInfo.com]
