Truckers lobby for new diesel standards

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The president of the Minnesota Trucking Association says high diesel fuel prices have more companies instructing their drivers to slow down, among other adjustments.

Minnesota Trucking Association President John Hausladen said diesel prices are running almost a dollar a gallon more than gasoline prices. He said some of the smallest trucking companies are going out of business and surviving companies are making adjustments beyond lower speeds.

"Companies are doing a variety of other voluntary measures from using single-wide tires instead of double-wide because it reduces the rolling resistance to putting air fins and reflectors on the trucks. Frankly, if you can get a tenth of a mile more on a truck right now, that's big savings because the cost is so great," Hausladen said.

Hausladen said current prices mean it costs about $1,400 to fill a full-sized tractor-trailer unit with diesel. He says in recent years the number of different types of diesel fuel has grown, meaning the supply of any given type has shrunk.

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