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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Diesel users such as tractor-trailer drivers and recreational vehicle owners will soon be paying more for diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).
According to RV Business: “Modern diesel requires the injection of DEF into the exhaust stream in order to meet current exhaust emission standards.”
However, the main component of DEF is a chemical compound called urea, a byproduct of industrial ammonia production. Russia imports the most urea. He is engaged in the war with Ukraine.
One of Strafford’s truck repair shop owners named Platinum Performance, Ashley Poole, said the DEF shortage only affects diesel users with newer vehicles.
“Any Tier 4 engine or truck can’t run without it (DEF),” Poole said. “Older engines can because they are not Tier 4.”
Poole said truck repair shops like Platinum Performance haven’t seen the shortage as much as others.
“We haven’t experienced it much here in the Midwest, but things are flowing,” Poole said. “Coastal towns have probably experienced it more than us, but it starts there, then it clarifies here.”
Poole said the cost of a 2 1/2 gallon jug of DEF is currently $11.40. The price for the same gallon of DEF was around $9 a year ago.
She also said the shortage of DEF is another cost to worry about and high diesel fuel prices.
Owner-operator truck driver James Marshall said, “My fuel bill went from $52,000 a year to $108,000 a year,” Marshall said. “This year it’s going to be even higher than that.”
Marshall said he and other tractor-trailer drivers were furious with high diesel prices and that the DEF shortage was not helping.
“Everyone needs to cut costs. We’re cutting costs to keep it all going,” Marshall said. “You have to cut home costs to compensate for that, but how much more can families do without?”
Marshall said some drivers he knows end up working more for the same pay they were earning two years ago. He said everything from meals to the cost of showers to paying for parking has seriously harmed the truck driving community.
“Why drive a truck when people can make the same amount of money at home?” said Marshal. “I’ve done it long enough, so it’s a pleasure. It’s a completely different lifestyle for people here.
Marshall said the DEF shortage didn’t affect him since he had an older tractor-trailer, but it would affect many truckers with newer models.
According to Freight Viking’s website, “In 2010, to further reduce NOx and particulate matter (PM) in diesel engines, the EPA mandated that all heavy-duty diesel engines be equipped with DEF.”
This means Tier 4 models after 2010 must use DEF to function properly.
If you have more questions about DEF or want to know if your vehicle requires it, click here.
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