Development of a Freight Efficiency Outreach Center

North Central Texas Council of Governments, Texas

Federal Funding: $486,767
Project Timeline: February 2011-February 2014

Project Summary
Community Characteristics
Program Results/Estimated Results

Project Summary

Reducing Air Pollution and GHGs through Improved Freight Efficiency

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is working on creating the Freight Efficiency Outreach Center. NCTCOG has selected Cascade Sierra Solutions (CSS) as a sub grantee to build, staff, manage, operate, and own the facility. CSS is a non-profit organization based in Oregon that specializes in promotion of fuel efficiency and emission reduction initiatives in medium and heavy-duty vehicles. Upcoming activity includes finalizing the CSS sub grantee agreement and beginning to coordinate the development of a site lease agreement.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is launching the Freight Efficiency Outreach Center to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from the trucking industry in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area. NCTCOG serves a sixteen-county region centered around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro area, nine of which do not meet federal ozone standards under the 1997 8-hour national ambient air quality standards. The region is crisscrossed by numerous interstates, resulting in heavy freight traffic. Heavy-duty vehicles contribute approximately 19% of all transportation-based GHG emissions nationwide, and have a significant impact on air quality in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The Freight Efficiency Outreach Center will showcase new low-emission, high efficiency vehicles and advanced retrofit technologies, as well as provide financial and technical assistance. The Center will function as a “one stop shop” for companies and drivers to learn about and begin implementation of emission reducing best practices and technologies. NCTCOG estimates that the Outreach Center has the potential to impact approximately 250 trucks in its first year by assisting in the purchase of newer trucks, repowering older engines, and encouraging upgrades with SmartWay technologies and other emission-reducing retrofits.

NCTCOG will work with many stakeholders, including local governments, trucking fleets and owner-operators, freight activity centers (i.e. distribution centers, inland ports, etc.), industry associations, technology manufacturers, and the communities which are most heavily impacted by freight traffic. These residential communities are often exposed to high levels of toxic diesel emissions and will directly benefit from reduced diesel emissions.

Creation of this Outreach Center will lead to greater industry awareness of the impacts of heavy duty freight traffic, and of new technologies and best practices that can increase heavy duty fuel efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel use, and improve regional air quality throughout North Central Texas.

With this center, NCTCOG will seek to expand upon the success of outreach centers which have been established along the Interstate-5 corridor in Washington, Oregon, and California and establish a similar model of outreach, education, financial assistance, and implementation to a new freight-intensive region. Once established, this facility could be replicated across the country in other major freight activity centers.

Community Characteristics

Population:	Approximately 6.26 million
Area:	12,370 square miles (16-county area)
Government Type:	Regional
Community Type:	Urban/Suburban
Median Household Income:	$46,044 (Dallas County, 2009)

Program Results/Estimated Results

Expected GHG Reductions:	2,540.41 metric tons CO₂e annually
Expected Nitrogen Oxides (NO_x) Reductions:	23.40 tons/year
Expected Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Reductions:	0.15 tons/year
Expected PM₁₀ Reductions:	0.77 tons/year
Expected Diesel Use Reductions:	277,102 gallons/year

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