A Methodology for Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Heavy Duty Diesel Trucks Used for Road Transportation in the Construction Sector

Abstract

A large growth in the number of Heavy Duty Diesel Vehicles (HDDVs) is one of the main causes that Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from the road transportation experienced a significant increase since 1990. With 97.5% of the total fleet used for delivery being HDDVs, these vehicles play an important role in Canada’s freight transportation. Latest statistics show that 17% of the heavy trucks operate in the construction sector. The objective of this study is to develop a methodology to estimate emissions from a single HDDV used in construction road transportation. The developed methodology showed -14% difference with on-road measurements, which suggests a reasonable accuracy in comparison with similar methods in the literature. This methodology can be used to address increasing GHG emissions from road transportation through implementing behavioural changes such as route planning and load factor management. It can also be also used by the construction suppliers to track and control their share of GHG emissions.