California’s zero-emission truck regulations are struggling to gain traction.
Several states that voted to adopt California’s Advanced Clean Trucks electric vehicle sales mandate are now postponing enforcement.
“The tide is turning as policymakers across the country wake up to the reality that California's unachievable electric-truck requirements are bad policy that carry serious political consequences," Chris Spear, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, told FleetOwner. "ATA has been sounding the alarm for years that EV mandates risk severe supply chain disruptions due to the exorbitant cost and operational limitations of current technology."
The states blamed their delays on immature zero-emission heavy-duty truck technology, undeveloped infrastructure for so many zero-emission vehicles, and tariffs threatening manufacturers’ operations.
The year has not been kind to the California Air Resource Board’s regulations. In addition to ACT’s struggle for momentum, a court battle recently sealed the fate of its complementary regulation, Advanced Clean Fleets. Looming over all of CARB is the Trump administration, which still seeks to remove California’s emissions autonomy.
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Advanced Clean Trucks is a CARB regulation that introduces a zero-emission sales requirement for manufacturers of Class 2b to Class 8 vehicles. Outside of California, 10 other states have adopted the regulation with their own timelines.
Though it promotes cleaner transportation, ACT also artificially restricts the available supply of internal combustion engine vehicles in favor of vehicles that are less efficient and have a higher cost of ownership. Trucking industry groups tend to oppose the regulation.
“While California’s electric vehicle mandate is well-intended, it has proven technologically and economically infeasible,” Josh Lovelace, national director of the Safe Roads Coalition, said. “Truck manufacturers are not mass-producing medium to heavy-duty electric trucks, and the sales of combustion truck chassis are coming to a standstill in states that have implemented California’s rules. Moreover, there are not adequate charging stations for large trucks, which are essential infrastructure for interstate commerce and roadside services.”
With limited truck sales and a lack of charging infrastructure, some states that have adopted ACT are getting cold feet.
Maryland
Maryland’s governor issued an executive order in April to ignore any ZEV delivery or sales shortfalls for Model Year 2027 and Model Year 2028. The order also delayed penalties for manufacturers under the state’s adoption of Advanced Clean Cars II.
“OEMs have asserted that the ZEV requirements will be too difficult to meet in Maryland, and there are indications that the policies of the current federal Administration will greatly impact ACC II and ACT compliance, including the effect of trade tariffs on manufacturers,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore said in the order.
Maryland’s enforcement of ACT was originally going to take effect for Model Year 2027 vehicles.
Massachusetts
In April, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection announced “enforcement discretion” for manufacturers that cannot meet the ZEV truck sales requirements for Model Years 2025 and 2026.
“This approach gives manufacturers more flexibility and eases the challenges dealers are facing, while keeping the state on track to achieve critically important emissions reductions,” MassDEP said.
Massachusetts’s enforcement was originally going to take effect with Model Year 2025 vehicles.
Vermont
Vermont Governor Phillip Scott delayed the state’s enforcement of ACT and ACCII through an executive order in April.
“It has become clear that there is insufficient charging infrastructure for passenger cars and insufficient technological advances in heavy-duty vehicles for these regulatory requirements to meet current goals; and … tariffs and other federal disruptions are increasing costs and causing supply chain uncertainty,” Scott said in the order.
Vermont’s enforcement of ACT would have begun with Model Year 2026 vehicles.
Oregon
The director of Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality issued a memo in May postponing enforcement of ACT for MY 2025 and MY 2026.
“While manufacturers were involved in developing the ACT framework, they now indicate that ACT requirements are too difficult to meet,” Leah Feldon, director of the Oregon DEQ, said in the memo. “Some manufacturers are limiting new internal combustion engine truck sales as a means to ensure compliance with ACT sales requirements, thereby reducing overall new truck availability to a wide range of users.”
Oregon’s enforcement of the Advanced Clean Trucks rule went into effect January 1 for Model Year 2025 vehicles.
The remaining CARB states
In total, 10 states outside California have adopted CARB’s Advanced Clean Trucks standards. The remaining six states that have adopted ACT are:
- New Jersey, enforcement beginning MY 2025
- New York, enforcement beginning MY 2025
- Washington, enforcement beginning MY 2025
- Colorado, enforcement beginning MY 2027
- New Mexico, enforcement beginning MY 2027
- Rhode Island, enforcement beginning MY 2027
Some state trucking associations are pressing their legislatures to slow down their electric truck sales mandates. The Trucking Association of New York in March urged lawmakers to delay enforcement of ACT. The Washinton Trucking Association last week also urged lawmakers to delay its implementation.
“Washington state is ignoring the reality of EV trucking, barreling ahead with California’s ACT regulations when there are clear implementation challenges,” said Sheri Call, WTA president and CEO. “Charging infrastructure for heavy-duty EV trucks is virtually nonexistent in Washington, and Oregon’s delayed implementation means I-5 truckers in the Northwest will have minimal charging options.”
The fate of Advanced Clean Fleets
California also recently agreed to completely repeal the Advanced Clean Fleet EV truck mandates through a settlement of a lawsuit from a coalition of 17 states.
A complement to ACT’s sales requirements, ACF would have required certain trucking companies to gradually transition to zero-emission vehicles. The 17-state coalition announced its victory in the year-long legal battle on May 6. California pledged to begin the rulemaking process to formally remove ACF.
