What kind of vehicles and equipment are considered "heavy-duty?"

For the purposes of this study, heavy-duty vehicles and equipment include on-road vehicles greater than 8,500 lbs Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, and nonroad vehicles and equipment with engines rated above 25 hp.  In addition, this study is not restricted to diesel-powered vehicles and equipment.  On-road vehicles include heavy-duty goods trucks, municipal/private service vehicles, and buses.  Owners of these vehicles may include governments, contractors, and goods-oriented businesses.  Non-road vehicles and equipment include construction and mining equipment, commercial lawn and garden equipment, agricultural equipment, pleasure craft, locomotives, and other similar vehicles.  Owners of these vehicles may be building contractors, excavation and demolition businesses, garden suppliers and nurseries, and the like.

What areas does the study cover?

The study area includes the following 21 counties: Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Spalding and Walton.

What types of questions will be asked in the surveys and why?

The survey will include questions about the characteristics of vehicles/equipment (e.g., make, model, age, type of fuel used, engine model, engine rated horsepower), and how the vehicles, equipment are used (e.g., annual fuel consumption, the vehicle/equipment's work schedule, number of miles the vehicle/equipment travels or number of hours it operates, the counties in which the vehicles/equipment operate).  This information is necessary to accurately estimate how much pollution the vehicles/equipment generate and whether certain emissions reduction strategies would be applicable and cost-effective.