The Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA) is coming out in support of the Trump administration’s decision to review the Phase 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) final rules, but a request for a 90-day pause to address TTMA’s lawsuit could hurt manufacturers if the implementation date is not pushed back.
The first-ever GHG standard for trailers is scheduled to kick in on Jan. 1 next year, but TTMA has challenged the trailer provisions of the overall rule from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which sets new emissions and fuel economy targets through 2027 for tractors and trailers.
Last week, EPA requested a 90-day pause until July 20 to allow the agency’s new leadership, headed by Administrator Scott Pruitt, to review options and potentially take action “that could obviate the need for judicial resolution of some or all the issues raised by [TTMA].”
In a filing with the court, TTMA said only a 30-day extension of the pending legal action should be granted, based on the rule’s current implementation date.
“TTMA and its members would be unfairly prejudiced by a 90-day abeyance, absent some action by the agencies to defer trailer manufacturers’ compliance obligations by an equivalent time period,” the group said.
In defending what it classified as partial opposition to the EPA’s request, TTMA said trailer manufacturing is a “highly customized business” and typically receive orders six months ahead of production. As a result, granting a 90-day pause without an equal extension of the rule’s effective date “would prejudice TTMA’s members and unfairly burden their right to seek review of the final rule.”
Wabash National Corp., the nation’s largest trailer maker, declined to specifically address the legal action, but reiterated it was prepared for the regulation.
“We’re ready to support our customers, whether the GHG2 rule stays in place or not. As the innovation leader in the trailer industry, Wabash will continue to pursue technologies that further improve fuel efficiency and reduce operating costs for our customers,” the company said.
