ALT-2 What is Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Ulsd
If you're old enough to remember the Beatles, try to remember the trucks of the times with billowing smoke stacks. Sure you can still see smoke from some of them now, but nowhere near the amount that used to come from them, you could smell it much stronger back then too. Since then we have progressed with technology and ever increasing fuel standards to this new ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel). With its new standard dropping from 500 ppm to only 15 ppm, there are quite a bit of changes that are taking place.
One great one is the cleaner trucks, ahhh, nice, that single point is what justifies all the rest. The change in pollution you can see and the invisible more toxic kind is a giant plus. It like everything comes at a cost.
Diesel fuel prices were usually quite a bit less per gallon than regular gasoline, typically now; the cost of diesel is rivaling Premium grade fuels. I acknowledge that fuel costs are not really driven by the cost to produce them, but more by what the big oil companies can charge and further more that the increase in cost to produce this new greener fuel is less than the increase in the price. We are just giving Exxon and friends even more chances to make even more money ( I wonder if being the all time money making record holders might slow down there greed). We, the people and to a much greater degree, truckers will pay the price for this change. Thank yourselves and buy a trucker just one tank of fuel.
USLD does allow the technology that the new diesels use to run cleaner work better, but it doesn't do anything great for the engines, the engines do wear out faster. No favors for power either. It is said that the power difference is so slight you won't be able to really feel the difference, and I bet that is true. I also bet that you can measure the long range fuel consumption of the truck, because of its unfelt loss of power and translate that into a bill I bet you would feel.
I am not opposed to ULSD, I think it is a step in the right direction. I do also believe that we need to look at the real costs when we figure the benefits, and know that the burden will not be shared equally. By the way, I am not a trucker and I am not any closer to any part of the trucking industry than any of you readers, I did however make lots of truck sounds as a child.
