On EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s last day in office, he gave a gift to glider kit manufacturers. EPA is now allowing manufacturers to produce as many as they want until at least 2020.
Previously, EPA had imposed regulations which would have put a cap on the number of glider kits produced. Each manufacturer was limited to only 200 per year. The regulation was intended to limit greenhouse gas emissions from older engines.
Glider kits are essentially truck tractors produced without an engine. This means that they’re not technically considered complete trucks, and thus are able to get around EPA clean air regulations. A carrier is then able to install an older engine in a new vehicle, and not have to worry about emissions guidelines.
EPA announced back in 2017 that it was considering a complete repeal of the glider kit regulation put in place by the previous administration. This delay will likely be long enough for the EPA to draw up the full repeal it had intended.
“Until a final rule can be completed to bring regulatory certainty to glider manufacturers, the agency is considering interim steps to reduce severe impacts on the industry,” said Molly Block, an EPA spokeswoman according to Transport Topics.
“The last-minute decision to stop enforcing rules limiting pollution from glider trucks is classic Pruitt,” said Union of Concerned Scientists’ director of the clean vehicles program Michelle Robinson. “It’s arbitrary, unjustified and legally sloppy; it defies scientific facts and the mission of the agency; and it puts human health at risk largely to the benefit of one company.”
That company is Fitzgerald Glider Kits, a manufacturer that funded a study which concluded that glider kits with old engines do not pollute any more than trucks with new engines. The study was conducted by Tennessee Tech University who later disavowed the conclusion.
Cherokee says
Glad he did it. These new trucks with the after treatment systems are junk amd only the make the dealers rich off high repairs. This is a country of free trade and free market but leave it up the left wingers and they’ll outlaw anything that doesn’t fit their agenda ( like antique cars and trucks).
Mark says
You might want to have a chat with the orange moron in the WH if you think this is a free trade country. Not anymore.
Gearjammer says
All right it is supposed to be a free market as in no excessive rules. I’ve seen more than a few “clean” trucks that smoke as much as my old e model cat. Free trade with other countries has been giving us a royal screwing over, the only way we’ll get more jobs back here is to make it more expensive to build your shit in China and then ship it here. Believe it or not we can not all be engineers and lawyers, there has to be something being produced to keep an economy alive.
Greek Cruz says
Unemployment is at record lows. No one wants more jobs that pay dirt. Even McDonalds pays more than manufacturing. USA is not competitive without artificial tariffs and minimum wages standards. Both of which have been historically bad for industry.
Jon says
How do you save fuel when the high-eff engines have a few miles on them and need to regenerate more often ?
Gearjammer says
Now they all need to build a boatload of them, and then “find”a boatload of old cats, cummins, and Detroit’s in a warehouse.
Diamondcuter1 says
Thats correct they live inthe shop one thing after another new trucks are a albatross around the neck of there owner’s.
R.J. says
“Older” engine means more reliable engine. Detroit Series 60 is certainly more reliable than many produced today.
Many “greenies” want a truck to haul 45,000 lbs of granola over and through the mountains, while only producing the emissions of a butterfly fart.
I WISH I could afford a Glider Kit. I’d buy one today.
They are however, not in-expensive.
It’d have a 14L Detroit Series 60 NON-EGR engine. Only made them for two years… Oh, and Barbi Benton would deliver it to my door, and ask to team with me….
G Jackson says
As a 40 yr. veteran O/O, I can say that after my experience with ‘EPA’ trucks, I would no longer be in this industry if glider kit trucks weren’t available. A big THANK YOU to the glider kit industry for giving me a choice when it comes to purchasing equipment!! Shame on you, EPA and new truck manufacturers for what you’ve done to small trucking businesses.
Andrew H says
Hmm, the comfort and maneuverability of a KW T680, with the option of sticking in a CAT C15… That idea tickles me. Heck I’d even settle for a 2000’s Cummins ISX, that thing was bulletproof too.
Shamus P. Cella says
Eat your heart out, I’m in a 2015 KW T660, with a 60 Series Fitzgerald Glider……on PAPER LOGS ( THANK G.O.D.) with a studio sleeper…..I LOVE THIS TRUCK !!!!!!
MrNA says
Too much fun RJ. You can have only have the kit or the Girl.
But seriously. Diesel emissions, PM 2.5, are not toxic. The EPA knows that. Anyone remember the Obama regime saying they were because they smoked out some peeps ? Then stupidly retracted the study ?
What the heck is a ZEV ? Another hypocritical feel good answer our government wants you to believe.
Supreme says
There should be one more paragraph to this article explaining the biases of the “original” so called study stating newer reg trucks are cleaner, when they are not. (ATA) and others behind Elogs and garbage regulations.
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Good for Fitzgerald and others financially fighting back! Their study was good. Good is a relative term depending on whom side Washington is on.
Red says
These bizarre emission laws for new Diesel engines are completely ridiculous, but of course this isn’t breaking news or anything. All they have done is made a nice, new truck full of amazing technologies completely unreliable! And what’s even more outrageous is when something does happen with the DPF system it shuts you down or derates engine so bad it’s not safe to drive on public roads and then has to be towed to dealership and face thousands of $$$ in repairs & downtime. The EPA should have to foot these bills. If they did, those regulations would be repealed overnight lol. I seriously doubt these new 2018 engines put out much pollution or soot even without the emission system. I drove a 2012 ProStar one time that put out so much blue and grayish smoke when it regen’d you would think I lit a small rubber tire on fire, my fuel mileage dropped almost 2 whole mpg during a regen….and it burnt my eyes so bad I had to put a wet rag over them for 5 minutes to get the stinging to go away so no matter what they tell me or show me, I will never believe that that crap is any better for the environment. Maybe theoretically on paper it might look good, but in the real world it causes way more headaches and problems than it would ever solve. Internal combustion engines will be obsolete in the next 50-100 years anyways so I don’t know why they even bother with this junk.
Kp says
Anyone Finance me a new glider ?