End of Service Life Options for Heavy-Duty Freight Trucks in Canada: Survey Questions for Canadian Carriers

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey. It should take roughly 10 minutes to complete. Information collected will be treated as confidential and will not be attributed to you or your organization.

This study is being undertaken on behalf of Natural Resources Canada. For questions or comments, please contact Derek May (dmay@pollutionprobe.org) or Steve McCauley (smccauley@pollutionprobe.org) at Pollution Probe.

Name

Company

Province/Territory of Company Headquarters

1. Please indicate the size of your Class 8 tractor fleet:

2-10

11-100

101-1000

>1000

2. What percentage of your tractor fleet was manufactured prior to 2007?

1-10%

11-25%

26-50%

51-75%

76-100%

3. What percentage of your tractor fleet was manufactured prior to 2014?

1-10%

11-25%

26-50%

51-75%

76-100%

4. What types of activities has your company undertaken in the last decade to address an aging tractor fleet? (select all that apply)

Accelerated replacement of older trucks

Retrofitted trucks with advanced emissions control technologies

Upgraded/overhauled truck engines to improve emissions and/or fuel economy performance

Assessed technology readiness or cost-benefit of emerging advanced technology options such as hydrogen fuel cell, battery electric and hybrid propulsion systems

Reduced role/mileage for older vehicles, prioritizing newer ones for long-haul duty cycles

Other (please provide details below)

If you answered 'Other' to the previous question, please provide details

5. Please rank, in order of importance, the factors that determine when your company retires or replaces trucks.
Use '1' for most important and '6' for least important. Please do not use each number more than once.

a) Mileage or engine hours

123456

b) Age of truck or engine

123456

c) Maintenance costs and/or downtime become too much of a burden

123456

d) Fuel economy decreases

123456

e) New trucks become available with performance specs that match your needs

123456

f) Other (please specify below)

123456

If you answered 'Other' to the previous question, please provide details

6. What does your company typically do with trucks that have reached their useful lifespan? (select all that apply)

Sell to dismantler/wrecker

Sell in auction

Sell direct to other trucking company, individual or dealership

Export outside of North America

Overhaul engine or drivetrain components and put back into service in reduced capacity

Other (please specify below)

If you answered 'Other' to the previous question, please provide details

7. When a truck reaches its useful lifespan, what type of government administered program would support you in choosing replacement trucks with better fuel economy and lower emissions? (select all that apply)

Scrappage program (financial incentives to replace older diesel trucks with newer diesel, natural gas, hybrid, or zero-emission trucks)

Repower program (financial incentives for engine upgrades)

Infrastructure program (e.g., electric parking spaces at truck stops, charging infrastructure for battery electric or plug-in hybrid trucks, refueling infrastructure for hydrogen, natural gas or propane)

RD&D program focused on testing performance and reliability of emerging low-emissions technologies in a Canadian context

Educational program (e.g., overviewing status of emerging technologies, cost-benefit analyses, performance, driver training and maintenance advice)

Increased capital cost allowance (CCA) rates for new heavy-duty trucks

Low-interest financing program providing facilitated access to credit for truck replacement and retrofits

Other (please specify below)

If you answered 'Other' to the previous question, please provide details

8. Of the options you selected in the previous question, please comment on the one that would be most useful to your fleet operations and indicate why this is the case (e.g., ease of access, ease of implementation, reduced cost burden and risk, limited disruption to operations, etc.)

The next two questions are specific to a national HDV scrappage program for Canada. As seen in other jurisdictions (e.g., USA, California, Mexico, Chile, China), scrappage programs have seen high levels of uptake from fleets and individuals seeking to replace older, heavy-emitting, high-maintenance vehicles. These programs typically offer fleets financial compensation for retiring eligible vehicles to help cover the costs of eligible replacement vehicles which are compliant with current emissions standards.

9. Which body/bodies would be best suited to administer a national HDV scrappage program?

Federal government

Provincial/territorial governments

Local governments

A combination of federal and provincial/territorial governments

An independent third party

Other (please specify below)

If you answered 'Other' to the previous question, please provide details

If possible, please indicate why you chose your response to the previous question.

10. Please indicate which of the following characteristics should be elements of a Canadian HDV scrappage program (select all that apply)

Validation that vehicles to be scrapped are still in operation and have been owned by program applicants for at least one or two years

Eligible vehicles for scrappage should meet a minimum age threshold (e.g., pre-2007 or 2014 model year vehicles)

Eligible vehicles for scrappage should meet a minimum engine hour or mileage threshold (e.g., >500,000 or 750,000 total km)

Eligible replacement vehicles should include used diesel trucks produced after a specific year (e.g., 2014), which would make them compliant with recent emissions standards

Special provisions for small fleets and owner operators with limited access to low-cost credit

Annual follow-up reporting requirement for participants to gauge success and cost-effectiveness of program (e.g., indicating basic metrics for new trucks such as mileage, FTK, fuel consumption, maintenance costs, etc., as compared to a pre-replacement baseline)

Minimal administrative burden regarding program applications and follow-up reporting

Enhanced emissions testing and enforcement to ensure non-compliant vehicles are identified and addressed, and that emissions control devices on replacement vehicles are functioning properly

Other (please specify below)

If you answered 'Other' to the previous question, please provide details

11. Would you be willing to have a project team member reach out to you for a one-on-one interview to discuss topics related to this survey?

YesNo

Feel free to share this survey with colleagues from your sector using any of the platforms below, or by sharing this link.