Freight Facts and Figures 2012
Table 5-19. Medium- and Heavy-Duty Truck Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 1990, 2005, and 2007-2010
Between 1990 and 2010, medium- and heavy-duty truck emissions rose by 74 percent, the largest percentage increase of any major transportation mode. An increase in truck freight movement is largely responsible for the rise in emissions over the last 20 years.
Table in Excel format | Historical data
Millions of metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent
 |
1990 | 2005 | 2007 | (R) 2008 | (R) 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon dioxide (CO2) | 230.1 | 396.0 | 431.6 | 413.9 | 376.3 | 389.3 |
| Methane | 0.2 | (R) 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Nitrous Oxide | 0.8 | (R) 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Hydrofluorocarbons | <0.05 | (R) 11.1 | 11.5 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 |
| Total Truck | 231.1 | (R) 408.5 | 444.7 | 427.1 | 389.3 | 402.3 |
| Total U.S. Transportation1 | 1,548.3 | (R) 2,022.3 | 2,007.6 | 1,894.6 | 1,823.90 | 1,838.6 |
| Total U.S.1 | (R) 6,175.2 | (R) 7,204.2 | 7,252.8 | 7,048.3 | 6,608.30 | 6,821.8 |
| Truck share of transportation total (percent) | 14.9 | 20.2 | 22.2 | 22.5 | 21.3 | 21.9 |
| Truck share of U.S. total (percent) | 3.7 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 5.9 |
Key: CO2 = carbon dioxide; R = revised
1Transportation and U.S. totals include greenhouse gas emissions from military aircraft (12.5 million metric tonnes in 2010), "other" transportation, primarily lubricants (9.5 million metric tonnes in 2010), and electricity-related emissions. Emissions from international bunker fuels are not included.
Notes:
CO2 equivalent is computed by multiplying the weight of the gas being measured by its estimated Global Warming Potential (GWP). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change developed the GWP concept to compare the ability of one GHG to trap heat in the atmosphere to another gas. Carbon comprises 12/44 of CO2 by weight. Medium- and heavy-duty trucks weigh 8,501 pounds and above. Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding.
Source:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2010, EPA 430-R-12-001 (Washington, DC: April 15, 2012), tables 2-15 and ES-8, available at www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html as of May 10, 2012.
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