For all of the dramatic technological leaps made in the past couple decades – most notably the increasing power and ever-diminishing size of computers – heavy-duty trucks have remained relatively unaffected. That’s not to say there haven’t been notable advancements, but there hasn’t been a giant step forward in overall vehicle design or performance. In fact, when looking at fuel economy alone, it can be argued that tougher federal emissions rules enacted in stages over the past decade actually have degraded performance.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s graduated emissions regulations presented tremendous technological hurdles that required diesel engine and heavy-duty truck manufacturers to devote huge resources in terms of investment, research and development, engineering and product validation.

In spite of the massive engineering efforts devoted to EPA-compliant engines, vehicle manufacturers didn’t neglect their product lines; over the past few years, most OEMs have made significant upgrades to existing models or launched new model trucks. But beyond emissions control, major technological leaps have been limited.

Other factors also have affected resources and funding for a leap forward in trucking technology. “I think that because of the downturn in the industry over the past year or more, no manufacturer can afford to spend the money we’d like to in those technology areas,” says Dennis Jadin, manager of advanced vehicle technologies and principle investigator for Navistar’s SuperTruck project. “Those three-year emission cycles have really corralled a lot of the technology focus over the past several years for us and other companies in the trucking industry.”

That, however, is about to change.

Significant challenges

At a January event at Cummins’ home in Columbus, Ind., U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced funding for the SuperTruck project – essentially the selection of three projects that would receive $115 million in government funding to improve fuel efficiency for heavy-duty trucks and passenger vehicles. The funding includes money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and that with a private cost share of 50 percent will support about $230 million in research, development and demonstration projects across the country.