States connected to California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rules face regulatory and funding challenges associated with transitioning to clean trucking. A pause – or delinking — is needed until both are clarified.

By Sheri Call and Jana Jarvis

One of the biggest links in our nation’s largest supply chain network – the trucking industry – faces an uncertain future given increasing regulatory pressure to transition to clean vehicles.

As industry representatives from two of the states connected to zero-emission trucking policies, we are urging our state lawmakers to pause these mandates— or delink entirely — until both policies and funding can be resolved.

At issue are California’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rules. Washington and Oregon are currently bound by ACT, which aims to transition medium- and heavy-duty trucks to zero-emission vehicles. The trucking industry has a long history of taking steps to develop cleaner fuel alternatives. Since 2003, particulate matter has been cut in half, and nitrogen oxides have been reduced tenfold. The adoption of California’s ACT rules has attempted to accelerate the EV transition. But neither the automotive technology nor the charging infrastructure is ready to support the shift.

Now, given the new administration in Washington, D.C., federal policies and funding no longer align with the ACT, creating significant challenges for states like ours, which are still firmly linked to the Golden State’s mandates. This was evident last month, when policy and politics collided, leaving the nation’s trucking industry in the lurch. It happened when the California Air Resource Board abandoned its request to the Environmental Protection Agency for a waiver that would have allowed California to force trucking companies to buy battery-powered electric vehicles.

Truck manufacturers and dealers are scrambling to sell zero-emissions electric trucks to fleets that have little regulatory incentive to buy them. Many truck operators are not yet willing — or financially able — to invest in ZEV fleets given their cost, range, payload and charging challenges. Some fleet owners will likely keep their older, less efficient fleets running to avoid the purchasing pain of ZEV trucks. They’re delaying those fleet purchases, or not buying ZEV trucks, because of the new mandate. Others will move their operations to neighboring states (think Idaho or Montana) that haven’t adopted California’s mandates. But they’re definitely not buying fleets of new ZEV trucks.

In addition to the sales requirements, there are significant operational and technological concerns associated with ACT. Chief among them: a total lack of charging infrastructure. The network for EV passenger cars is nowhere what it needs to be. The situation is even more dire for EV trucks, with additional concerns about electrical capacity and parking availability. While California has made significant investments in charging stations and other necessary infrastructure, similar developments in Washington and Oregon are lagging. And now, with a pause on federal funding, states like ours — already faced with deep budget deficits — won’t likely secure the funding needed to backfill a loss of federal dollars.

The economic landscape in Washington and Oregon also differs significantly from that of California. Trucking in the Pacific Northwest has distinct operational realities, including varied terrain, weather conditions, and logistical needs. The implementation of zero-emission mandates without adequate consideration of these factors could lead to substantial operational disruptions. Range limitations of current zero-emission trucks are ill-suited for the long-haul routes that are common here. This could result in increased costs for trucking companies, which will eventually be passed on to consumers through higher prices for goods.

Given these challenges, it would be prudent for Washington and Oregon to pause or delink entirely from ACT rules until policy and funding issues are clarified. We are encouraging lawmakers in Olympia and Salem to consider such proposals this legislative session, until the appropriate funding and infrastructure are in place to support this transition.

While the goal of reducing emissions from heavy-duty trucking is a noble one, it is essential to approach this transition with careful consideration of the regional differences and challenges faced by states like Washington and Oregon, and the implications for our supply chain. The WTA and OTA are committed to implementing practical, effective solutions that enable a carbon-free economy. For now, though, California’s ACT mandate is not the right way to do it.

Sheri Call is President and CEO of the Washington Trucking Associations. Jana Jarvis is President and CEO of the Oregon Trucking Associations.