Accounting for Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Trucking Production

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been an issue consuming much of the climate change policy debates and media coverage. Freight trucking is a major source of GHG within the transportation sector. This paper measures and evaluates trucking efficiency and productivity for 48 contiguous states in the U.S. accounting for GHG emissions during the years 2000-2007. The results show that the trucking industry could expand desirable output and reduce GHG emissions by an average of 11 percent per year. The average abatement costs ranged between $26 million and $94 million per year.