As someone who’s had to deal with Diesel Exhaust Fluid, I find these latest steps very encouraging. It remains to be seen, however, what the actual impact will be, considering that California is unlikely to drop its diesel emission standards. My best guess: your new tractor or truck will still come equipped for DEF, but you’ll be able to easily switch it off. That means you’ll still have to pay for hardware that you’ll never use.
It is important to note that the decision also removes the federal EV mandate for Class 8 trucks, meaning it is no longer federally required, and that diesel equipment will remain part of fleet operations. Therefore, other rules are still moving forward. The 2027 NOx emissions standards remain in place, and manufacturers have already developed engines designed to meet those requirements. State regulations also continue to play a role. For instance, California and other states maintain their own emissions policies.
I deal with heavy truck and equipment owners all the time, for decades. Nearly every person I interview owns and or operates some form of diesel equipment.
I have not found ONE person happy with the Tier 3 and 4 systems with DEF. Not ONE.
I was in Lloydminster a few years ago and I just happened to be visiting a rig moving company. One of the owner operators just happened to get out of his truck, swearing, and said he’s taking his Tier 3 truck back to the dealer and buying a used one because he was, yet again, stuck on the side of the road due to the emissions crap.
My daughter was able to sell her worn out, POS 2001 Dodge 3500 flatdeck dually a few months ago for $4500. Why? Because it has no emissions garbabe on it. That’s for a clapped out 25 year old truck.
Second generation Rams with the diesel engine sell for insane prices here in the US. Absolutely insane. My son-in-law put 525,000 miles on a 3rd gen Ram w/Cummins and wishes he had it back because now he’s fighting the DEF headaches with a 2022.
She tried to get several thousand more for it, but wasn’t able to. If she had more time, she might have been successful, but it didn’t turn out that way.
DEF was what was available when the regulations went into effect, and the Obamabots wouldn’t push it out for longer for other options.
Makes you wonder who held shares in the company that invented it.
Just another reason I love my 05 F350 coal burner, warts and all.
Done the work on it everyone knows about, and it’s still a better, and Half As Expensive (easily) option than the newer, shiny, DEF, luxury liners they’ve produced since,
2011 F-250, has DEF, hasn’t been a problem (so far, fingers crossed) but DEF is just another consumable forced upon me that doesn’t decrease my fuel costs and generally doesn’t do much of anything for the engine.
But did you know, Dennis, that water/ethanol injection systems lower fuel consumption, lower exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs), lowers NOx emissions more than DEF (yes it does keyboard warriors, go look it up), and pretty much eliminates that sludge you get in the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system. Yep, a jug of basically windshield wiper juice with no soap in it and an intake manifold injector. Works amazing. Oh, and you get a nice horsepower bump as well.
Not a new technology either, the Rolls Royce Merlin in the Spitfire had water/ethanol injection in WWII. It’s a plug-and-play modification.
Funny that we have DEF instead, right? Almost as if the whole thing was crooked A.F.
My question:
Grok, in what country is most Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) produced?
Grok’s answer:
China is the country that produces the most Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF), driven by its position as the world’s largest urea producer (the key component in DEF), extensive manufacturing capacity through companies like Sinopec, and growing domestic demand from stringent emission standards and a vast diesel vehicle fleet.
Didn’t the Doors do a song about this? “The day destroy the night/ the diesel exhaust the fluid…” My memory fails.
It is my understanding that it is CARB in Cali that enforces their DEF jam.
But since Trump cut off all Federal funding to the Board, no enforcement is possible.
TK’S Garage on YouTube has a few videos on California losing the ability to set and enforce its own emission rules.