This week in trucking: New registration system, electric truck rebates

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of May 21.

Listen to the news on this week’s episode of The Fleet Lead podcast here or search for The Fleet Lead on your favorite podcast app.

Summaries of the stories are below:

California launched a $1 billion rebate program for electric trucks

Applications are now open for the new California Clean Fuel Reward rebate program. The program offers rebates on new electric medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle purchases, ranging from $7,500 for Class 2b vehicles to $120,000 for Class 8 trucks.

California has $250 million available this year and expects to offer more than $1 billion in rebates through 2030. Rebates will be available through authorized dealers beginning June 26.

FMCSA’s new registration system is finally live!

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is rolling out its new registration system called Motus. Carriers should now be able to access their paperwork through a single online dashboard. The system also includes modern identity verification processes to stamp out fraud in the industry. 

Einride unveiled an autonomous deployment in the Midwest

Autonomous deployments continue to expand across the U.S. Autonomous electric truck developer Einride announced a new deployment with Ease Logistics in Marysville, Ohio. The Einride electric truck—probably one of the most visually striking autonomous trucks, as it has no cab—will run short routes between Ease Logistics’ warehouses. The deployment is a collaboration with the DriveOhio Truck Automation Corridor Project and the Ohio and Indiana Departments of Transportation.

FMCSA revealed $217 million in grant funding

FMCSA revealed the latest waves of funding for four of its existing trucking industry grants. The total grant funding is about $217 million, spread across commercial motor vehicle safety, technology development, and CDL improvement programs, as well as CMV operator training for members of the Armed Forces. The largest share of the funding—more than $105 million—will help states improve their CDL programs. 

Spot rates hit record highs during International Roadcheck

Last week’s spot rates hit records as International Roadcheck constrained for-hire capacity. FTR Transportation Intelligence found that average dry van rates, including fuel surcharge, rose by almost 24 cents, and average refrigerated rates rose by 52 cents. Reefer rates made their largest single-week increase on record.

In fuel this week, diesel dropped 4 cents

The national average on-highway diesel price fell to $5.60 per gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Diesel prices fell across almost every U.S. region but increased by 6 cents in the Rocky Mountain region.

AAA’s estimate of fuel prices averaged $5.67 for a gallon of diesel and $4.56 for a gallon of gas. The price of diesel is only 16 cents shy of AAA’s highest recorded diesel price in 2022. Fuel prices remain concerningly high, and the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.

Earlier this month, Indiana extended its suspension of the Gasoline Usage Tax—and suspended the Gasoline Excise Tax through June 7. Georgia’s governor suspended the state’s gas tax for an additional two weeks through June 3. Oklahoma recently enacted laws that are more amenable to the possible federal fuel tax holidays.