Released today by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation, this standard for medium- and heavy-duty trucks is the first of its kind. Covering vehicles that account for a whopping 20 percent of all carbon emissions from the nations’ transportation sector, the new rules would prevent the emission of nearly 250 million metric tons of greenhouse gases and save an estimated 500 million barrels of oil during the useful life of vehicles produced in the first five years of this program, according to DOT.

For combination tractors, the Obama administration’s proposal calls for vehicles to achieve an up to 20 percent reduction in carbon emissions and fuel consumption. For heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, the plan calls for a phase-in of separate standards for gasoline and diesel vehicles, achieving a 10 percent reduction for gas vehicles and a 15 percent reduction for diesel models. So-called “vocational vehicles,” such as fire engines, school buses and garbage trucks, would also be required to achieve a 10 percent reduction.

A number of companies, including Smith Electric Vehicles, a poster child for the Obama administration’s efforts to support cleantech and green jobs through Recovery Act investments, are working on hybrid and electric trucks. But this proposed standard is less about ushering in the next generation of vehicle technology than seeing to it that incremental improvements to current technology are made quickly, for big effects on the transportation sector’s environmental impact.

According to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the proposed rules are meant to spur implementation of “existing technologies,” by an industry that’s already accustomed to the process of complying with emission standards.

Many of these trucks idle for seven hours a day, Jackson said in a call with reporters on Monday, and so reducing idling, especially in trucks with sleeper cabs, can make a big difference. She also mentioned aerodynamic improvements, new fuel injection systems, advanced transmissions, and reductions in weight and leakage from air conditioning systems as examples of technology that truck makers can use to meet the new standard.

As John Voelcker points out over on GreenCarReports, “trucks’ fuel efficiency is so low to start with (anywhere from 4 to 10 miles per gallon), proponents say that even a 10- or 15-percent improvement could save enough money to cover the extra cost of necessary new technology.”

Ultimately, said Jackson, the Obama administration is working to bring about a transition to “less carbon in our atmosphere.” The purpose of standards like those unveiled today — which are now open to a 60-day period for public comments — is to “provide a roadmap out many years into the future,” she said, which allows the private sector to meet and often exceed the standard.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Dave_7

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But it can be extremely valuable to promote conversations about your remote working arrangements with clients yourself. By taking the lead in initiating discussions, you can:

• Communicate your enthusiasm for their project.
• Raise — and propose answers to — questions the client hadn’t even thought of.
• Identify your preferred working arrangements, technologies, and so on, and have a good chance of having them adopted.
• Set expectations early, and make sure everyone’s on the same page.

Recently, a client asked me to send me an outline of my rate for a project. Ordinarily, I’d have done just that — and only that. But this time, I decided to take a different approach: along with that information, I explained some of the thoughts I’d had about the way we might work together, and asked a few questions.

There was nothing unprecedented in my message — I included information on the standard hurdles remote web workers need to cross when they start a new gig — but raising these topics up-front, before the project’s terms had even been finalized, helped to set a certain expectation between myself and the client.

First, let’s look at the topics I raised, in addition to the rate question the client had asked.

Time

The rate I provided was based on a certain number of hours’ work each week, so I explained my weekly availability and capacity to take on extra work as required.

Technologies

The discussion of time lead me to consider workflow, and how we’d manage that in a remote, yet close working situation.

I outlined a few of the technologies we could take advantage of, and explained how I thought they could fit together to help the work progress smoothly. The brands weren’t important; the main thing was the capabilities they had and how I thought they might support the project.

Payment

In outlining a proposed invoicing schedule and payment terms, I explained that my time-tracking tool would allow me to provide an account of all the time I spent on the project.

This lead to a quick outline of my invoicing timeframes and terms, and allowed us to agree on a payment frequency and method that suited us both. This client is located in my country, and will be paying me in local currency; otherwise we’d have needed to decide that too.

This information prompted questions from my client about tax, benefits and other aspects that I hadn’t considered to be a part of the deal. The answers to these questions tend to vary with the freelancer’s, or client’s, locations, so it’s important to address them early on.

Other Questions

By putting my cards on the table so openly, I encouraged my client to do the same: he sent back a few questions about whether I could meet with him every few weeks, how might fit in with other team members’ schedules, and the kinds of additional tasks he might ask me to participate in.

Again, this expanded the scope of our discussions and the potential for our relationship up-front. By discussing these questions in advance, I’ve made clear my enthusiasm for the project, and helped speed up the decision-making process. Now the client’s in the process of working out where and how I might fit in with his plans.

Setting Strong Foundations

Clearly, being up-front is a good idea when it comes to establishing boundaries — and scoping out the possibilities — with remote clients. It achieves all the points I outlined above, but it also sets one other crucial expectation: that my time, and my contribution, are valuable.

This is something beginning freelancers often struggle with, especially if they’re remote, and the approach I’ve outlined here is a good way to imply a sense of partnership, and avoid winding up in the standard employer-freelancer (or tyrant-slave!) kind of arrangement. By showing respect for the client’s project, the client, and yourself, you can help to ensure you’re seen as a valued ally. And in the world of web freelancing, that’s exactly the kind of reputation you want to build.

What kinds of issues do you try to anticipate, and questions do you try to answer, to set the right tone with your clients at the beginning of a working relationship?

Image by stock.xchng user memoossa.

Related GigaOM Pro content (sub. req.): Enabling the Web Work Revolution

Offshore Wind Leases Blow In: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today issued five exploratory leases for wind energy production offshore from New Jersey and Delaware. — Press Release

Toyota Still Stuck on Hydrogen: Toyota Motor has in the past hinted at a 2014 launch for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, but now it plans to roll out fuel cell vehicles in 2015. — AFP via Autoblog

GreenHunter on the Prowl for a Buyer: “GreenHunter Energy said today it is exploring a possible sale of its massive biodiesel refinery at the Houston Ship Channel as it works to improve its balance sheet and struggles with a tough market for the alternative fuel.” — Houston Chronicle

Chick Chick Vroom?: University of Delaware scientists say carbonized chicken feather fibers could be used to store hydrogen for cars at a fraction of the cost of carbon nanotubes and metal hydrates. — Green Car Congress

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