Schneider executive warily eyes costs for '07 trucks

Steve Duley, vice president of purchasing for Schneider National, the nation's largest truckload carrier, said his company is concerned about its ability to afford trucks that will comply with 2007 federal emissions rules because of extra costs for both routine engine maintenance and onboard diagnostic systems. Duley said his company estimates that life-cycle costs for engines that meet the October 2002 U.S. pollution standards would reach $50,000 higher than for the previous generation of heavy-duty diesel engines. And he warned that the additional life-cycle costs for 2007 engines to meet the even stricter standards might be 5% higher.With all these looming costs, "we're going to maintain the trucks we bought to avoid having to trade them in when the 2007 trucks become available," Duley said.