Work out your truck freight emissions
= 93.76 tonnes CO2e in 2026 (Scope 3)
Each ton-mile × 0.1875 kg CO2e, the 2026 GHG Emission Factors Hub figure (Cornerstone) for "Medium- and Heavy-Duty Truck", CO2, CH4 and N2O combined.
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Medium- and heavy-duty truck: emission factor by Hub edition (per ton-mile)
From Table 8, Scope 3 Category 4 and 9: Upstream and Downstream Transportation and Distribution, row "Medium- and Heavy-Duty Truck". The Hub publishes the three gases separately; the kg CO2e column adds them up with the global warming potentials (GWPs) each edition states.
| Edition | kg CO2 | g CH4 | g N2O | GWPs (CH4, N2O) | kg CO2e per ton-mile | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Cornerstone) | 0.1860 | 0.001600 | 0.005400 | 27, 273 | 0.1875 | +0.02% |
| 2025 (EPA) | 0.1860 | 0.001600 | 0.005400 | 28, 265 | 0.1875 | +10.7% |
| 2024 (EPA) | 0.1680 | 0.001472 | 0.004665 | 28, 265 | 0.1693 | -1.2% |
| 2023 (EPA) | 0.1700 | 0.001600 | 0.004700 | 25, 298 | 0.1714 | – |
The gases changed between editions as the Hub updated its source data, and the GWPs changed too (2023: CH4 25, N2O 298 (IPCC AR4); 2024: CH4 28, N2O 265 (IPCC AR5); 2025: CH4 28, N2O 265 (IPCC AR5); 2026: CH4 27, N2O 273 (IPCC AR6, non-fossil CH4)). Source: US EPA, GHG Emission Factors Hub (2023-2025 editions, public domain) and Emission Factors Hub 2026, Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative, CC BY 4.0.
Per vehicle-mile
| Edition | kg CO2 | g CH4 | g N2O | kg CO2e per vehicle-mile | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Cornerstone) | 1.298 | 0.01150 | 0.03760 | 1.309 | +0.02% |
| 2025 (EPA) | 1.298 | 0.01150 | 0.03760 | 1.308 | -4.5% |
| 2024 (EPA) | 1.360 | 0.01191 | 0.03775 | 1.370 | -2.0% |
| 2023 (EPA) | 1.387 | 0.01300 | 0.03800 | 1.399 | – |
That is 0.8131 kg CO2e per vehicle-km in 2026 (one mile is exactly 1.609344 km).
Worked example
Take a business that ships 500,000 ton-miles a year. 500,000 ton-miles × 0.1875 kg CO2e = 93.8 tonnes CO2e, reported as Scope 3, Category 4 or 9 (transportation and distribution). In metric units the factor is 0.1284 kg CO2e per tonne-km (one short ton-mile is 0.90718474 tonnes carried 1.609344 km).
How to use it
Multiply the ton-miles you paid for by the factor and report them as Scope 3, Category 4 or 9 (transportation and distribution): Category 4 for freight you pay for (inbound and outbound), Category 9 for outbound freight your customers pay for.
Use the ton-mile figure when your goods share the truck with other customers' freight, and the vehicle-mile figure when the whole truck is dedicated to you; the Hub's footnote gives that rule. Medium- and heavy-duty trucks are over about 8,500 lb gross vehicle weight: box trucks, single-unit trucks and tractor-trailers.
Check the ton. The Hub's ton-mile is a short ton (2,000 lb) carried one mile; a metric tonne is 1.102 short tons, so a shipment recorded in tonnes and kilometres needs converting before you use these figures. And do not count freight twice: trucks the company owns or leases belong in Scope 1, worked out from fuel; only third-party carriers go here.
UK companies with sites, staff or shipments in the US can use these figures for that activity, and the UK government factors for activity in the UK (see the UK government factor for the same activity). Say in your methodology which set you used for which activity. In Carbon Recycling, every line keeps the factor and source it was worked out with.
Where to find your ton-mile figure
Your carrier's or freight forwarder's reports (shipment weight and distance), or bills of lading. A ton-mile is one short ton (2,000 lb) carried one mile, so 20 tons carried 250 miles is 5,000 ton-miles.
Who publishes the 2026 figures
The GHG Emission Factors Hub was published by the US EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership every year up to the January 2025 edition, as a US government work in the public domain. The 2026 edition, last updated 26 May 2026, was published by the Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative, not by EPA, under a CC BY 4.0 licence (doi:10.5281/zenodo.20403776). It keeps EPA's table layout and its footnotes cite the same sources, such as 40 CFR Part 98 and EPA's Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. EPA has not endorsed it.
Related emission factors
- Rail freight: 0.02118 kg CO2e per ton-mile
- Waterborne craft (shipping, barge): 0.07838 kg CO2e per ton-mile
- Aircraft (air freight): 1.095 kg CO2e per ton-mile
- All US fuel, vehicle, travel and freight factors
- US electricity factors by eGRID subregion
- United States grid electricity average (every year since 2000)
- All emission factors