As the heavy-duty trucking industry works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a new report from the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) reinforces an important reality: reducing emissions isn’t just about changing vehicles—it’s also about changing fuels.
The report concludes that evaluating the environmental impact of heavy-duty trucks requires a well-to-wheel approach rather than focusing solely on tailpipe emissions. Using Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET® life-cycle model, researchers examined emissions generated during fuel production, transportation, distribution, and vehicle operation to provide a more complete picture of each energy pathway’s carbon footprint.
Fuel Choice Matters
One of the report’s most significant findings is that the origin of a fuel often has a greater impact on greenhouse gas emissions than the engine or powertrain itself.
That conclusion is particularly relevant for fleets operating diesel-powered equipment today. While discussions about decarbonizing transportation often center on battery-electric and hydrogen technologies, the NACFE report recognizes that lower-carbon liquid fuels can provide meaningful emissions reductions using today’s trucks, fueling infrastructure, and maintenance practices.
For many heavy-duty applications—including long-haul trucking, vocational fleets, agriculture, construction, and other demanding operations—renewable liquid fuels remain among the most practical tools available to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions without waiting for entirely new vehicle platforms or fueling networks.
Biodiesel Demonstrates Real-World Performance
NACFE’s research also reinforces what many fleets have experienced firsthand.
During the organization’s Run on Less – Messy Middle demonstration, a Class 8 truck operating on B99 biodiesel traveled more than 5,400 miles while averaging 9.5 miles per gallon, demonstrating that high biodiesel blends can successfully power demanding freight operations in real-world service.
That finding aligns with years of successful biodiesel use by commercial fleets, municipalities, school districts, public transit agencies, and agricultural operations throughout Michigan and across North America.
Biodiesel offers fleets an opportunity to substantially reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions while also lowering particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbon emissions compared to conventional petroleum diesel. Because biodiesel can be blended with diesel fuel at a wide range of concentrations—from B5 and B20 to B100—it provides fleet operators flexibility to select blends appropriate for their equipment, climate, and operational needs.
Renewable Diesel Expands Fleet Options
The report also recognizes the growing role of renewable diesel as another important lower-carbon fuel pathway.
Renewable diesel is chemically similar to conventional diesel fuel and can generally be used in existing diesel engines without modification, making it an attractive option for fleets seeking lifecycle emissions reductions with minimal operational changes.
Rather than viewing renewable diesel and biodiesel as competing technologies, many fleets are evaluating how each fuel can fit within their operations. Renewable diesel may offer advantages in certain applications due to its fuel properties, while biodiesel continues to provide significant lifecycle carbon reductions, excellent lubricity, strong domestic feedstock demand, and support for American farmers and rural economies.
Together, these renewable fuels expand the portfolio of solutions available to fleets pursuing decarbonization goals.
A Portfolio Approach to Decarbonization
Another key takeaway from the NACFE report is that no single technology will serve every trucking application.
The report emphasizes that battery-electric, hydrogen, natural gas, renewable diesel, biodiesel, and other technologies each have roles to play depending on vehicle duty cycle, infrastructure availability, economics, and operational requirements. It also notes that driver behavior remains one of the most influential factors affecting fuel economy and emissions, regardless of the technology being used.
This “portfolio approach” closely mirrors what many fleets are already experiencing. Rather than searching for a single universal solution, successful fleet managers are evaluating technologies based on real-world performance, total cost of ownership, infrastructure readiness, and lifecycle emissions.
Looking Beyond Just The Tailpipe
Perhaps the report’s most important message is that transportation emissions should be evaluated using a lifecycle perspective rather than tailpipe emissions alone.
When fuel production is included in the analysis, renewable fuels such as biodiesel and renewable diesel can deliver significant greenhouse gas reductions while leveraging existing diesel engines and fueling infrastructure. That makes them valuable tools for achieving emissions reductions today, particularly in heavy-duty sectors where electrification remains challenging.
As Michigan continues advancing cleaner transportation across trucking, agriculture, marine, construction, and municipal fleets, biodiesel and renewable diesel remain practical, commercially available solutions capable of reducing lifecycle emissions while keeping goods—and the economy—moving.