California, Truck Manufacturers Reach Agreement On Zero Emission Rigs

As Connecting the Dots reported at the time, in April the California Air Resources Board (CARB) unanimously approved the Advanced Clean Fleets rule, the first regulation of its kind in the world that would require new commercial trucks, including garbage trucks, delivery trucks, and other medium and heavy-duty vehicles, to be electric.

This regulation bans the sale of new diesel heavy-duty trucks starting in 2036 and requires all heavy duty trucks on the road to be zero-emissions starting in 2042. The rule also would require companies that operate 50 or more trucks to convert their fleets into electric or hydrogen models and achieve zero-emissions starting in 2042.

The trucking industry forcefully opposed the new rules and threatened to sue the state.

Now, because of a new deal with CARB, the industry may back off. According to The Hill, last week the state and truck manufacturers agreed to a plan intended to smooth out the transition to electric and hydrogen trucks. The Hill said the plan incorporates measures that will “help the trucking industry meet California’s emissions requirements while enabling the state to simultaneously reach its climate goals.”

For its part, CARB agreed to modify elements of its 2024 nitrogen oxide emission regulations and to provide no less than four years of lead time and at least three years of regulatory stability before imposing the new requirements. Truck manufacturers agreed to meet the state regulator’s zero-emission and pollutant standards within the state, regardless of any attempts by other entities to challenge California’s authority.

Read the agreement here and find more resources about this rule from CARB here.