The Washington Trucking Association is calling on the state government to halt the implementation of California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule, raising several concerns that the transportation industry has been warning policymakers about for years.
Sheri Call, president and CEO of the Washington Trucking Association, recently sent a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee and the chairs of the state legislature’s environment and transportation committees calling for the Advanced Clean Trucks requirement to be abandoned. Instead, the trucking association is proposing that the state adhere to less restrictive federal emissions standards.
In 2021, Washington state adopted California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule, which the Golden State adopted the previous year. The rule requires manufacturers to sell zero-emission trucks as an increasing percentage of the state’s annual sales starting with model year 2024 through model year 2035. For Class 8 tractors, 40% of new trucks must be zero-emission by model year 2035. For other light trucks, that percentage rises to 75%.
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ZEV sales shares |
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| Vehicle model year (MY) | Class 2b-3 | Grades 4-8 | Tractors class 7-8 |
| 2024 | 5% | 9% | 5% |
| 2025 | 7% | 11% | 7% |
| 2026 | 10% | 13% | 10% |
| 2027 | 15% | 20% | 15% |
| 2028 | 20% | 30% | 20% |
| 2029 | 25% | 40% | 25% |
| 2030 | 30% | 50% | 30% |
| 2031 | 35% | 55% | 35% |
| 2032 | 40% | 60% | 40% |
| 2033 | 45% | 65% | 40% |
| 2034 | 50% | 70% | 40% |
| 2035 and beyond | 55% | 75% | 40% |
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, nine other states have adopted the Advanced Clean Trucks standards: Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The letter states that transport companies are concerned about vehicle costs, operational challenges and low to non-existent vehicle adoption.
The association warns of the unintended consequences of advanced clean trucks, including truck drivers keeping older trucks longer or companies avoiding the state altogether.
“Currently, members have only a few options due to lack of infrastructure, vehicle costs, availability and operational constraints,” Call says in the letter. “They will either hold on to their current assets longer, allowing older, less clean trucks to operate in Washington, or reduce their footprint in Washington to benefit states not subject to the CARB/ACT program. Washington does not have the regulatory infrastructure to prevent trucks from being shipped out of the country that do not meet a reduced carbon or zero emissions standard.”
Call also points out that Advanced Clean Trucks was written for California, the world’s fifth-largest economy. In addition, California has more incentive programs. The transportation association simply argues, “Washington is not California” and is unprepared to implement California’s large-scale zero-emission truck standards.
The Washington Trucking Association also informed the governor and state lawmakers of the significant limitations of zero-emission trucks, including cost, payload, range, fueling and infrastructure. In May, Ryder released a report showing that replacing a diesel truck with a comparable electric truck could more than double operating costs.
Call tells Governor Inslee that there is a trend in the trucking industry toward clean, zero-emission technology. However, it argues that the timetable for Advanced Clean Trucks is too aggressive and leaves no room for innovation or takes into account current technological limitations.
In 2020, more than a dozen states signed a memorandum of understanding to advance truck electrification. The memorandum is similar to the Advanced Clean Trucks rules. However, several states have dropped out in the past year alone, including Connecticut, Maine and North Carolina. The trucking association is calling on Washington, which also signed the memorandum of understanding, to join those states.
“The WTA respectfully asks you and the legislature to reconsider the connection to California’s emissions standards and adopt federal standards that better meet Washington’s unique needs,” Call said. “Employers in Washington should not have to deal with policies created by another state without input from stakeholders or analysis of their impact here.”
The Advanced Clean Trucks rules are being challenged in federal court. In June 2023, 19 states filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Since the lawsuit was filed, several stakeholders have intervened, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the Chamber of Commerce, the American Trucking Associations, the Truckload Carriers Association, the National Tank Truck Carriers, and the Specialty Equipment Market Association. LL
