Decker Truck Line Launches Biodiesel Study

By BILL SHEA, courtesy of The Messenger, Ft. Dodge, Iowa

Fort Dodge. Iowa — When a group of Decker Truck Line Inc. rigs hits the highways over the

next couple of years, they'll provide key data on a renewable fuel while making their regular deliveries. Those 20 trucks will be the research tools in a thorough look at how soy biodiesel performs in real-world conditions.

Dubbed the 2 Million Mile Haul, the experiment will be the ''first-ever comprehensive study to analyze and publicize the benefits of using soy biodiesel,'' said Dale Decker. Decker, who is the industry and government relations director for the Fort Dodge company that bears his family name, announced the study to a group of about 35 people Tuesday evening.

The test is a pet project for Decker, who got interested in the potential of biodiesel when his job led him to the state Capitol while the legislature was working on a renewable energy bill early this year. ''This has a very huge potential, I feel, for our company and many others,'' Decker said of biodiesel.

For the study, the trucking company has joined forces with Iowa Central Community College, the Iowa Soybean Association, the National Biodiesel Board, engine maker Caterpillar Inc., the United States Department of Agriculture, and Renewable Energy Group of Ralston, a company which develops biodiesel plants.

Decker Truck Line will use 20 brand new trucks. Ten of them will be powered by traditional petroleum-based diesel. The other 10 will be fueled by a mixture of 20 percent soy biodiesel and 80 percent traditional diesel.

The trucks will run matching routes and carry matching loads. Data on the trucks will be measured and compared at Iowa Central. Engine wear, mileage, fuel consumption and the number of repairs will be measured, according to Don Heck, the college's biotechnology and biofuels technology programs coordinator. Heck said the study will provide a ''wonderful opportunity to let students be involved in something real.''

Decker said that in about two years the trucks will have collectively racked up about 2 million miles. At that point, he said, the study will conclude. He said the company will report the results at the state Capitol.

Curt Sindergard, president elect of the Iowa Soybean Association, said he expects the test will show biodiesel is ''a very capable fuel.''

Michael Powers, representing Caterpillar Inc., said his company supports biodiesel. But he added that the industry needs a ''more robust technical fuel standard'' to assure the quality of biodiesel. The Decker venture, he said Tuesday, will be a step toward that standard.

U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, R-Alexander, agreed that data will ''really prove to the end user that it's going to work the way it should.'' ''We've won the debate,'' he said. ''We've got to make sure we have the proof.''

A flourishing renewable fuels industry fulfills the dreams of generations of Iowa farmers, Latham said. He added that he'll work at the federal level to keep incentives in place to help expand the industry.

State Sen. Daryl Beall, D-Fort Dodge, praised the test and soy biodiesel in general. ''I don't see a downside with this,'' he said. ''It's good for the Iowa farmer. It's good for the consumer, in this case Decker Truck Line and other trucking companies. It's good for the Iowa economy.''