Fuel Costs, Economic Activity, and the Rebound Effect for Heavy-Duty Trucks

In this research truck-level microdata from a repeated cross section between the years 1977 and 2002 is used to estimate the rebound effect for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The rebound effect refers to an economic concept that lower fuel consumption rates can lead to an increase in the number of miles driven due to the lower cost per mile of driving. The authors of this report estimate the rebound effect for tractor trailers at 29.7% and vocational vehicles (dump trucks, tow trucks, etc.) at 9.3%. The authors also investigate the effect of economic activity on truck counts and find that truck miles driven will grow less rapidly than economic activity. The estimate of aggregate truck miles elasticity to gross state product for tractor trailers is 0.62 and 0.87 for vocational vehicles. The projected impact of both these estimates on emissions and fuel consumption is discussed.

• Record URL:
  http://www.rff.org/files/document/file/RFF-DP-15-43.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Resources for The Future

  1616 P Street Northwest
  Washington, DC  United States  20036
• Authors:
  • Leard, Benjamin
  • Linn, Joshua
  • McConnell, Virginia
  • Raich, William
• Publication Date: 2015-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Discussion Paper
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 45p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Costs; Economic factors; Estimating; Fuel consumption; Pollutants; Trucks; Vehicle miles of travel
• Subject Areas: Economics; Energy; Environment; Motor Carriers;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01596804
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: RFF DP 15-43
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 22 2016 10:45AM