Biodiesel: The Future of Sustainable Trucking

In the trucking industry, clean technology is a broad term used to describe sustainable efforts being made in reducing gas emissions and pollution. Nowadays, sustainability has transitioned from being a hot trend to a business imperative, and many trucking companies have jumped on the bandwagon by reducing their carbon footprint one step at a time.

Trucking companies can be more environmentally friendly with the use of biodiesel, a type of biofuel with a clean-burning alternative energy source that is derived from liquid fuels, biomass conversion, and solid biomass.

Perhaps you’re looking for a strategy to stand out among other trucking businesses, or it's your first time hearing about biodiesel and want to learn more about its properties.

Here are a few benefits of incorporating biodiesel into your trucking business that may persuade you to go green.

Image by pcdazero from Pixabay

1. Made From Renewable Resources

Unlike petroleum-based diesel, biodiesel is produced from renewable resources, such as animal and vegetable fats, and leftover restaurant grease. These oils are already used daily when cooking meals, and biodiesel simply gives it another life to be used again.

Think of it as recycling waste oils that produce fewer greenhouse gases and pollutants in the environment than petroleum.

2. Grown, Produced, and Distributed Domestically

If you’re looking to cut the reliance on foreign suppliers for oil, biodiesel can be the alternative form of fuel that is easily accessible to you from local energy crops. They are created in local refineries, saving you time, money, and eliminating the need to import expensive finished products internationally.

3. Superior Fuel Economy

The good news is, with biodiesel you’ll be making fewer trips to the gas station and run longer miles per gallon. Vehicles that run on biodiesel accomplish a 30% fuel economy than vehicles running on petroleum-based diesel.

4. Boosted Air Quality

The carbon dioxide produced by the ignition of biodiesel is completely used up in growing the crops that produce the biodiesel, therefore the cycle is maintained, and the potential pollutant is never released into the air. This cycle helps save the earth from the daunting issue of global warming while also improving the air quality.

Take it from the National Laboratory Reports, which states that carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by an astonishing 74% when we switch from petroleum to biodiesel.

5. Improved Engine Operation

Nobody wants to constantly take their vehicle in because of a wonky engine. Biodiesel prevents that by keeping your engine running smoothly for a long period of time.

By increasing the fuel’s lubrication and the cetane number, biodiesel helps the engine run more effectively and evenly—keeping truck drivers self-assured of a smooth drive.

6. Better Health

With better air quality comes improved health of millions of people subjected to areas at high levels of pollution. Air pollution causes more deaths and diseases than any other form of pollution. The pollutants from gasoline engines create smog, making thousands of people sick consistently.

Biodiesel cuts down the risk of illness tremendously by producing fewer toxic pollutants than other petroleum products.

Are you interested in an alternative to the conventional trucking business model? If so, take a look at how Relaymile is reimagining trucking to provide drivers with a healthier, more consistent standard of work.