By Tom Wentworth
General Sales Manager
Allstate Peterbilt Group
Have you ever thought it would have been nice to have a “do over” on how you planned for 2007 and the first DPF trucks required by the EPA? If so, Greenhouse Gas Phase 2 may provide you with your chance. By the time you read this president Obama will most likely have signed the latest emission reduction proposal into law. It may be worth a quick google search of the topic which will provide you with dozens of articles detailing the new requirements.
Although phase two is still a couple years away, there may be noticeable changes coming sooner as manufactures can earn credits by meeting the requirements early. This could mean that you may not be able to get some options you have had in the past and they may require newer more expensive technologies which are needed to meet the new efficiency standards.
Phase 2 is much more aggressive than phase 1 and the costs are likely to be much higher, there is some speculation about just how much more trucks will cost but it is safe to say it will be several thousand dollars by the time we meet the final year of the program.
During 2007 we saw a large pre-buy leading up to the new EPA requirements which brought longer lead times, higher prices and lower trade values. Now is a perfect time to start planning purchases for the next several years and looking at what the market might be doing at the time that you need to add or replace trucks.
Trucks being built today are achieving record fuel economy and require less maintenance than in previous years. Used truck values have stabilized and new truck pricing is aggressive as manufactures have the capacity to build more trucks. It may make sense to take advantage of these current conditions rather than wait for the coming changes to take place!

Photo courtesy of United States Environmental Protection Agency