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has said the president will veto it. To override a presidential
veto would require a two-thirds vote in both the House and
Senate.
Texas Republican Rep. Troy E. Nehls, who introduced
the resolution, called the EPA’s rule on buttoning up large
commercial truck emissions “yet another example of burdensome
federal regulation” that “would unfairly target the
trucking industry and pass costs for the American consumer
and small businesses, all in the name of the Biden
administration’s ‘woke’ climate-change agenda.”
Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) President Jim Ward
has said the association and numerous other trucking
groups “have cautioned the EPA against enacting this rule
because it outpaces available technology and would worsen
an already-tight equipment market.”
The TCA is concerned the new emissions standards for
heavy-duty trucks will limit equipment options for carriers
Ward says, as well as worsen environmental outcomes in
the long run by raising prices and, in effect, disincentivizing
fleet turnover, which is key to reducing emissions in trucking.
“TCA maintains that a more comprehensive strategy is
needed to guide fleet advancements, that realistically accounts
for ongoing equipment shortages and price increases,
and encourages solution-maximizing technology, without
restricting equipment options prematurely,” Ward said.
Addressing the Arkansas Trucking Association on May
17, Chris Spear, president and CEO of the American Trucking
Associations, said the trucking industry needs to speak
out against the new EPA rules. He contends the trucking
industry and the associations that serve it have already
made great strides in helping to reduce emissions on diesel
engines.
“For 40 years, we have worked hand-in-glove with the
SmartWay program with the EPA. We have recognized carriers
that have kept up with the latest environmentally friendly
equipment,” Spear said, adding that the industry has “been
through the process to ensure equipment on the market can
withstand the pressures that drivers put them through and
still deliver reductions for the environment.”
According to Spear, truck manufacturers have, in the past
four decades, reduced harmful emissions from big rigs by
98.5%. It would take 60 modern Class 8 trucks, he said, to
match the emissions produced by a single rig back in 1988.
The EPA estimated the technology required to meet the
new rule’s standards will cost between $2,568 and $8,304
per vehicle. The American Truck Dealers Association estimates
it is more likely a $42,000 increase per truck. In total,
the EPA projects the associated costs of this new regulation
on the country.
In addition to tractors, including day cabs and sleepers,
the proposed Phase 3 rulemaking applies to heavy-duty vocational
vehicles, such as delivery trucks, refuse haulers,
public utility trucks, and transit, shuttle, and school buses.
The proposed program revises standards for model year
2027 vehicles to be more stringent than the existing Phase
2 greenhouse gas standards. It also introduces new standards
that become more stringent every model year from
2028 through 2032. For sleeper cab tractors, the proposed
Phase 3 program introduces new standards in model year
2030 that increase in stringency in model years 2031 and
2032.
According to the EPA, the Phase 3 program “maintains
the flexible structure created in the Phase 2 greenhouse gas
program, which is effectively designed to reflect the diverse
nature of the heavy-duty industry.” Under that structure, the
proposed standards do not mandate the use of a specific
technology. Internal combustion engine and zero-emission
vehicle (ZEV) technologies are both expected to play important
roles in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The proposed standards are performance-based, allowing
each manufacturer to choose what set of emissions
control technologies is best suited for their vehicle fleet to
meet the standards. EPA projects that one potential pathway
for the industry to meet the proposed standards would be
through:
• 50%: ZEVs for vocational vehicles in model year 2032,
which includes the use of battery electric and fuel cell technologies.
• 34%: ZEVs for day cab tractors in model year 2032,
which includes the use of battery electric and fuel cell technologies.
• 25%: ZEVs for sleeper cab tractors in model year 2032,
which primarily includes the use of fuel cell technologies.
“Greenhouse gas emissions have significant impacts on
public health and welfare,” EPA officials said, noting that
“transportation is the single largest U.S. source of greenhouse
gas emissions, making up 27% of total greenhouse
gas emissions.” Within the transportation sector, heavyduty
vehicles are the second largest contributor, at 25% of
all transportation sources.
The proposed Phase 3 program is expected to increase
the adoption of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles, which
the EPA says would reduce emissions of smog and soot
forming pollutants by 650 tons of particulate matter, 72,000
tons of nitrogen oxides, and 21,000 tons of volatile organic
compounds, compared to 2055 levels without the proposal.
The EPA estimates the total benefits of the proposed
Phase 3 standards will far exceed the total cost by as much
as $320 billion.
“Society would realize approximately $87 billion in climate
benefits and up to $29 billion in benefits from fewer
premature death and serious health effects such as hospital
admissions due to respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses,
along with approximately $12 billion in reduced reliance on
oil imports,” noted a statement issued by the EPA.
In the meantime, trucking industry stakeholders are stuck
in a holding pattern.
TCA JULY/AUGUST 2023 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 11