Heavy Truck Equipment vs a Fast Food Hambuger

image courtesy of http://www.overdriveonline.com

How could these two being going head to head? It seems like a strange comparison to make, but its very illustrative. According to a study conducted by the University of California Riverside, which focused on commercial charbroilers found in burger restaurants, "an 18-wheeler diesel engine truck would have to drive 143 miles on the freeway to put out the same mass of particulates as a single charbroiled hamburger patty."

While what that says about fast food hamburgers and their health effects is best left to other blogs, it also says a lot about diesel emissions from heavy duty equipment.

In 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency moved forward with its scheduled plan to make buses and heavy duty trucks cleaner starting in 2007. Since 2007, new bus and truck models have had to follow strict emissions standards. The UCR study, perhaps unintentionally, highlights the strides heavy duty truck equipment and buses have made since the 2007 standards were put in place. It hasn't always been an easy process, but it is undoubtedly a very important one and it is good to see the gains of all that hard work.

Places to Fuel Up with Diesel in the Cambridge Area

Our owner, Ezekiel, was kind enough to write this post about fueling up with diesel in Cambridge. This is great information for all of you who are moving yourselves and/or renting your own trucks.

image courtesy of whitfieldoil.com

There's a bunch of places to get diesel if you're running low while in the Cambridge area. Of course, prices are going to be cheaper at the big pilot stops on the highway, but here are some options if you're in a jam.

The Hess on Massachusetts Ave., westbound outside Porter Sq. (2055 Mass. Ave.), is easily accessible if you're heading westbound. The parking is a bit tight for tractor-trailers, but most straight jobs won't have a problem. They're usually the lowest prices in the area. Access to and from the eastbound lane however, is problematic.

Chico's Sunoco in Fresh Pond is moderately priced (not the best but not too bad) and is open 24 hours. They're located on Rte. 16 in Cambridge between the two Fresh Pond area rotaries. They have a good parking lot that's not too bad for pulling into and out of. Again, trailers might get a bit tight. They can usually fill tanks on both sides at the same time if you park just right. Their windshield washer fluid and squeegees are also usually in good shape, even in the winter.

There's also a Hess with diesel in Allston, right off of  Interstate 90 at the corner of Cambridge St. and North Harvard (219 Cambridge St. Allston). This has the easiest access to the pumps (good for any size truck) and is right by the 90 on ramp.