So I bet you’re wondering how the stimulus money is being spent to make the trucking industry better, right?

In February 2009, President Obama put U.S. taxpayer dollars into motion when he signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which includes heavy investment in upgrades to the energy sector.

As part of the Act, the federal government made $300 million dollars available through the National Clean Diesel Campaign to reduce diesel fuel emissions. This means that heavy-duty diesel vehicles – including trucks and equipment owners -- are eligible for grants to help cover the cost of adding EPA-verified, cleaner-burning engines to fleets.

Fast forward five months later, and the Environmental Protection Agency has already begun to dole out money to projects in several states. The University of Georgia in Athens was just awarded $1.7 million to help local governments cover the cost of installing filters on 239 transit buses and other heavy equipment. The retrofits have a potential to remove 100 tons of pollution a year from the air.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, meanwhile, just got word it will be the recipient of $9.8 million in funding to replace more than 600 “pre-1994” trucks with newer, cleaner-burning models. Out on the west coast, an array of projects in California will be funded with National Clean Diesel Campaign dollars, including the Port of Oakland, which will get $2 million to retrofit or replace more than a hundred trucks.

Is it worthwhile to spend stimulus money on programs like these? Or maybe you’re hoping your truck has a retrofit or replacement in its future? If so, tell us about it.