In an attempt to give the big, fat middle finger to President Obama and his recent EPA initiatives, a movement that centers on “rolling coal” has picked up serious steam amongst truck drivers.
“Rolling coal,” in case you didn’t know, refers to drivers that purposefully spew black smoke into the atmosphere. To enhance this smoke blowing feature, drivers install smoke stacks and special equipment on their diesel trucks that causes the engine to burn more fuel and send black billows of smoke out into the air. This can be done for as little as $500.
This protest is also directly aimed at the drivers of electric and hybrid cars that receive tax breaks for their decision to “Go Green.”
In an interview with Slate, Dave Weigel- a Wisconsin seller of stack kits- said, “I run into a lot of people that really don’t like Obama at all. If he’s into the environment, if he’s into this or that, we’re not. I hear a lot of that. To get a single stack on my truck—that’s my way of giving them the finger. You want clean air and a tiny carbon footprint? Well, screw you.”
Currently, there are tons of videos littered across the internet of truck drivers blowing this “Prius Repellant” at other drivers on the road.
In addition to the perceived “tax break” injustice, others are “rolling coal” because the new EPA regulations have affected certain businesses. For example, one company from Edge, Utah took a $500,000 hit for selling diesel particulate filters that allowed truck drivers to improve their mileage.
However, not all conservative truck drivers are on board for the new movement, especially older enthusiasts. Instead, they believe that “rolling coal” is a waste of fuel and too disrespectful to other drivers. Oh, and it could be dangerous, leading to accidents and other unforeseen consequences.
But the lingering question out there exactly is: how dangerous are these diesel smoke clouds really?
Well, the Clean Air Task Force says that diesel pollutants lead to over 21,000 premature deaths each year. Adding to this, in an interview with Fox News, the EPA said, “Tampering with vehicle pollution controls is against the law. Tailpipe pollution, uncontrolled by emissions reduction technology, contains high levels of soot and smog forming chemicals, which are linked to premature death.”
Not all people are buying into these statements and studies, though. One Texan truck driver was quoted as saying, “I’m not a scientist, but it couldn’t be too horrible. There are a lot of factories that are doing way worse than my truck.”
No matter what side you lean to on the issue, one thing seems to remain certain: “Rolling Coal” drivers are on the road today, and they are ready to fight for control of the pavement.
4Wheel Online Blog - Automotive News 
This is a pretty stupid trend. All it does is waste fule and shorten your engine’s life while obscuring visibility and creating a road hazard.
Are you SURE this isn’t a made-up “trend” created by left-leaning environmentalists to depict automotive emission regulation opponents in as negative a light as possible?
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That’s a stupid way to protest… no doubt you people are the problem to this pollution… waste money in something else rather than make black smoke… IDIOTS..!!!
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Thank you I am an idiot:) An idot that loves his country and LOVES THE SOUND OF A DIESLE ROLLIN PURE BLACK AMARICAN COLE!!!! Sorry if I offended you. But its a stuped law.. Just saying… Its America… Not lala land. Oh an were not the problem… You are
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Rolling coal is not as bad as all those bunny huggers make it sound diesel smoke is thick so it settles back on to the ground very quickly and it does not go up into the ozone layer it doesn’t shorten life’s and to the epa I would like for you to tell us exactly how diesel smoke shortens lives cause if it is as bad as the epa says there wouldn’t be a diesel mechanic that lived over 50 and I know perfectly healthy diesel mechanics in they’re 60’s 70’s and even 80’s don’t listen to that Obama crap your listening to a man who smokes pot and cigars but then says they’re bad and says abortion is alright but says rolling coal is bad we ain’t killing millions of people every day
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You got my vote
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You are a moron, and you apparently have no idea how physics works.
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so here is my question; why do some diesel owners insist on doing this just to sabotage the efforts of other people? look, prius owners and environmentalists do what they do because they think it will make the world a better place. I mean, they are only trying to do what they think is the right thing to do. is that so bad? rolling coal simply to spite those who dislike it is not only rude, its utterly disrespectful. imagine this; you used to go to a river behind your house and fish and swim when you were a kid. you love the outdoors. however, it has since become chalk full of garbage and other debris, killing the fish and generating a murky slurry from the pristine waters that used to be your playground. you decided to go pick out the garbage, maybe it would help restore the area to its original form. now get a load of this, someone sees you cleaning the place up and they get an idea. as you step into the water with your waders on and a trash bag in your hand, this person walks up to the river bank right beside you and dumps several trash bags full of garbage. look folks, I cant think of a less environmentalist analogy at the moment, but take the message from it. if you are reading this, you are probably proud to be an American. well, I am too. and I don’t want this nation to be known as the place where people try to do what they think is the right thing, and get insulted for their efforts. would it be too hard to not sabotage their efforts? can we Americans find it in our hearts to simply disagree with them, and not take it a step further?
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I drive a Ford Powerstroke diesel that’s been variable chipped by the last owner. If I wanted to roll coal I could. I don’t for a couple reasons: 1) I’ve been to a city and I don’t want my town’s air to look and smell like that 2) it puts soot all through your engine and shortens it’s lifespan by a noticeable amount 3) it absolutely ruins fuel mileage. Diesel is a more economical alternative for many drivers, especially those who need a truck capable of hauling extremely heavy loads long distances. Modern technology has made diesels more fuel efficient and clean than ever before. Why should I sacrifice those advantages to look like an idiot under a black cloud?
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While there are idiots who think it’s “cool” to do this, I know none who do it to “protest” anyone. I own several diesels, two of them Jeeps with TDI’s in them. I tune them for power, and fuel mileage, which means no smoke.
I’m ok if articles like this turn off people from diesels. Its simply economics to me. Supply/demand. Fewer diesels, more fuel, lower use, cheaper fuel. Might just be penny’s on the gallon…
The real idiots are not the “roaling coal” people. Its the Prius owners. My Passat TDI station wagon gets 45+ mpg, and I pulled a Jeep over a mountain highway with it once, still go 40mpg.
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