ECO-Driving Technology and Behavior Research for Heavy-Duty Trucks

Heavy-duty trucks are a critical component of the U.S. goods movement system; however, these trucks consume a large amount of fuel and emit significant pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions. The trucking industry is always looking for any measure to improve their operations and reduce fuel consumption, including improving how the truck is driven. In recent years, there has been a big push for promoting "eco-driving" mainly for light-duty vehicles as a cost-effective means of saving fuel and reducing CO₂. In general, eco-driving can be defined as fuel-efficient operation of a vehicle to achieve better fuel economy and lower tailpipe emissions while not compromising the safety of oneself and other road users. The core of eco-driving programs is to provide drivers with a variety of advice and feedback to reduce fuel consumption. The advice and feedback can be provided through various means including websites, classes or training, and in-vehicle driving feedback systems. Evaluations of eco-driving programs for light-duty vehicles in Europe and Asia have shown fuel economy improvements on the order of 5 to 15%]. To date, there have not been any significant studies addressing eco-driving for heavy-duty trucks. In this project, it is proposed to develop and evaluate heavy-duty truck eco-driving technology and to study the behavioral impact eco-driving may have on truck drivers. This truck-based eco-driving research will build upon University of California Riverside's (UCR) current research in eco-driving technology for light duty vehicles. This proposed work also pulls in the heavy-duty truck research being carried out by researchers at Cal State San Bernardino (CSUSC) and makes use of their recently acquired unique driving simulators. By combining these two neighboring research organizations (i.e., UCR and CSUSB), this valuable eco-driving study can be successfully carried out, providing important insight on how better fuel economy and lower CO₂ emissions can be achieved in the goods movement arena.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $145413
• Contract Numbers:

  65A0460

• Sponsor Organizations:

  California Department of Transportation

  1227 O Street
  Sacramento, CA  United States  95843

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  Department of Transportation
  1200 New Jersey Avneue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Performing Organizations:

  California State University, San Bernardino

  5500 University Parkway
  San Bernardino, CA  United States  92407-2397

  University of California, Riverside

  Center for Environmental Research and Technology
  900 University Avenue
  Riverside, CA  United States  92521-0425
• Principal Investigators:

  Boriboonsomsin, Kanok

  Barth, Matthew

• Start Date: 20120101
• Expected Completion Date: 20130101
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 33511

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Driving simulators; Energy consumption; Freight traffic; Greenhouse gases; Heavy duty trucks; Sustainable transportation
• Subject Areas: Energy; Freight Transportation; Highways; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01471022
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University of California Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 65A0460
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 31 2013 1:01AM