Fuel economy reforms coming.(Outlook)

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is proposing to revamp its fuel efficiency standards for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, which the DOT classifies as "light trucks." On December 22nd, DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued an advance notice of a proposed rulemaking to reform the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.

The notice includes several reforms that the NHTSA is considering, including redefining what constitutes a light truck, creating two or more categories of light trucks, and increasing the scope of the standards to include vehicles weighing between 8,500 and 10,000 pounds. Such heavyweight …