LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hands up if you’re not skeptical about biodiesel. Just as we thought. No hands.

Don’t be surprised. Most truckers agree with you.

But Dale Decker, a third-generation operator whose family business runs about 700 trucks and more than 1,400 trailers out of the Fort Dodge, Iowa., really really wants to believe in biodiesel. And he’s putting his money where his fuel spout is.

Decker’s submitting a good chunk of his fleet to the biodiesel test. In cooperation with the National Biodiesel Board, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Iowa Central Community College, as well as the Renewable Enegery Group (REG), a biodiesel manufacturer, Decker is going to run 10 of his trucks a million miles using B-20 biodiesel (20 percent biodiesel and 80-percent No. 2 diesel) and 10 other identical trucks on identical runs but with regular fuel. And they reach the end, he’s going to determine which fuel works best — which had the best mileage, the least maintenance problems, and the greatest driver satisfaction.

Two major engine OEs have approved
B-20 biodiesel in their engines

Running from his terminal in Fort Dodge to either Chicago or Minneapolis, Decker’s fueling Peterbilt 379s, 388s, and 389s and hauling flatbed trailers. The engines are Cat C13 or C15 engines built to EPA 2004 and 2007 EPA emission levels.

Cat and Cummins have both approved the use of B-20 biodiesel in their engines, providing the biodiesel enthusiasts with a serious morale boost.

Cummins made its announcement earlier this week (see today’s top headline story on the new Cummins 600), and of course the approval only applies to biodiesel fuel that meets the ASTM D6751 spec.

As Dale Decker said at a press conference at the Mid America Trucking show in Louisville, Ky., any biodiesel that goes into his trucks has to be as clean as regular diesel.

“We’re not talking about buying from Billy Bob’s Backyard Biodiesel store..”

He started his test a few months ago and so far, his trucks have covered about 350,000 miles. Currently, about 1,000 fuel retailers across the U.S. sell biodiesel fuel and this week, it’s about the same price as the old-fashioned kind.

Biodiesel and alternative fuels are getting a lot of buzz north of the border too. Canada’s federal Conservative government recently said it plans on introducing a 2 percent biodiesel standard for Canadian fuel by 2012. This week, the Tories announced in the 2007 budget it will give about $2 billion to framers and biodiesel producers.

Truckers aren’t officially fighting the plan, but want more testing of biodiesel in new, smog-free 2007 diesel engines before any legislation is voted on. Also, the Ontario Trucking Association wants to make sure the government subsidizes the extra cost of biodiesel instead of forcing truckers to pay extra for it at the pumps.

Stay tuned for the more results as they come in from Decker’s Two-Million Mile Run.