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For waste management fleet operators, PC-12 will deliver a lower total cost of ownership through increased wear protection, fuel economy efficiencies and enhanced durability. Now is the time to plan for a transition and to engage your expert lubricant partner for guidance and support.
By Darryl Purificati

Any update to industry standards provides an opportunity to review current practices and ensure that the new guidelines support the latest advances in technology. This principle was held top of mind by the American Petroleum Institute Lubricants Group, which developed PC-12—a new standard category for heavy-duty engine oil that will come into effect on January 1, 2027. PC-12 will support Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and fleet managers to meet a number of ongoing priorities including reducing carbon emissions and improving fuel economy.

With less than six months to go until implementation, this article explains the drivers for the category update, the three performance pillars around which it has been developed, and what waste management fleet owners can do to prepare.

The Lifeblood of Heavy-Duty Fleets
If an engine is the heart of a vehicle, then engine oil is its lifeblood, lubricating the internal hardware to help maintain its performance, protection, and longevity. Engine oils keep the engine running smoothly, minimizing friction and wear between components and unnecessary power losses.

This is particularly important for waste fleets using stop/start technology. A high amount of on/off cycles can result in increased wear and if the engine is not properly lubricated, unexpected maintenance and unplanned downtime can happen.

A New Standard to Meet New Regulations
In April 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the third phase of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Standards for heavy-duty vehicles. With engines and emissions systems being updated to meet more stringent environmental standards, the oils that keep them protected also needed to evolve in line with the latest emissions targets and engine technologies.

In response, the API’s Lubricants Group began working on a new category of heavy-duty engine oil standards, designated as PC-12. PC-12 was developed to meet the requirements of the 2027 EPA emission regulations and other new engine designs by improving fuel efficiency, engine wear protection, and aftertreatment system life.

Three Performance Pillars
PC-12 development focused on three key performance pillars which will deliver long-term benefits for fleets:

1. Emissions Systems and Aftertreatment Protection—With modern emissions systems being introduced, this will support and protect hardware including diesel particular filters (DPFs) and selective catalytic reduction systems (SCRs) to support longer system life.
2. Durability and Wear Protection—Heavy-duty applications such as waste management can subject engines to increased heavy load and strain. PC-12 oils will offer enhanced durability and wear protection to extend engine and asset life.
3. Oxidation Protection—Strong oxidation control will support longer oil life, extended drain interval potential and enhanced engine performance.

In addition, PC-12 includes provision for even lower viscosity lubricants than currently available, which can further improve fuel economy by reducing drag inside the engine and pumping and rotational losses without compromising engine protection.

Understanding and Managing the Category Split (CL-4 vs FB-4) 
As with PC-11, there are two categories of oil within PC-12: API CL-4 applies to higher-viscosity oils such as XW-40 and some XW-30s, which are fully backward compatible with older engines, replacing current CK-4 oils.

API FB-4 is intended for new OEM hardware architectures that use lower viscosities (XW-30 and XW-20) to enable superior fuel economy benefits but will not be backwards compatible for older vehicles. FB-4 replaces FA-4 but is also not backwards compatible to vehicles that called for FA-4.

Mixed and legacy fleets can end up handling multiple oils. Following the introduction of PC-11, however, many fleets are now well equipped and experienced in managing this.

For fleets that do not have additional storage or bench tanks available, there are practical ways to manage the transition. An expert lubricant partner can help consolidate lubricant stock and support fleet mechanics to understand the differences between CL-4 and FB-4 and the relevant viscosities to provide the protection their engines need.

The Benefits to Fleet Economics
PC-12 will bring a range of benefits, the most significant of which will be mid-to-long term asset life protection for engines and emissions systems. Through improvements to durability, maintenance intervals and major component service intervals are likely to be extended over time.

This means that while fleets are unlikely to see a dramatic change in operations when the new rules come into effect in 2027, some may see incremental savings on fuel economy from leveraging the latest lubricant technology.

The benefits however will become apparent over time, with enhanced wear protection, fuel economy efficiencies, and optimized maintenance contributing to a reduced total cost of ownership.

The new heavy-duty engine oils will also support the industry’s ongoing focus on long oil drain intervals. While OEM specifications and fleet maintenance schedules ultimately determine drain intervals, PC-12 will offer the potential of even longer intervals. Extending drains should always be undertaken in conjunction with an oil analysis program.

Actions Fleets Should Take Now 
After the transition to PC-11, waste industry fleet managers should be well placed for the changes that will take place in January. However, to ensure a smooth transition it is important to start preparations now. To be ready for PC-12 there are three key steps that all fleets should follow:

1. To begin with, fleets need to investigate their current equipment requirements and check how those affect OEM oil recommendations.
2. The next step is to seek advice from your OEM and your lubricant technical service advisor about product line-up, inventory and what is changing.
3. Then, plan for tank turnover and onsite inventory. It is important to avoid filling tanks too close to the changeover, as it is important to prevent products mixing to maximize the operational benefits of the new formulation.

Plan for Transition
For waste management fleet operators, PC-12 will deliver a lower total cost of ownership through increased wear protection, fuel economy efficiencies, and enhanced durability. With the new heavy-duty engine oils entering the market in January 2027, now is the time to plan for a transition and to engage your expert lubricant partner for guidance and support | WA.

Darryl Purificati is Senior Technical Advisor for OEM and automotive at Petro-Canada Lubricants, an HF Sinclair brand. For more information visit .