The Washington Trucking Association is urging the state government to pull the plug on the adoption of California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule, raising several concerns the trucking industry has been warning policymakers about for years.
Washington Trucking Association President and CEO Sheri Call recently sent a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee and state legislature leaders of environmental and transportation committees to abandon Advanced Clean Trucks requirements. Instead, the trucking association suggests the state stick with less restrictive federal emission standards.
In 2021, Washington state adopted California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule that the Golden State enacted the previous year. The rule requires manufacturers to sell zero-emission trucks as an increasing percentage of annual state 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 small trucks, that percentage increases to 75%.
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ZEV Sales Percentages |
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| Vehicle Model Year (MY) | Class 2b-3 | Class 4-8 | Class 7-8 Tractors |
| 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 future years | 55% | 75% | 40% |
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, nine other states have adopted Advanced Clean Trucks standards: Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.
In the letter, the Washington Trucking Association says trucking companies are worried about vehicle costs, operational challenges and low to non-existent vehicle adoption.
The association warns about the unintended consequences of Advanced Clean Trucks, including truckers holding onto older trucks longer or companies avoiding the state altogether.
“Currently, due to the lack of infrastructure, vehicle cost, availability, and operational limitations members are left with only a couple options,” Call says in the letter. “They will either hold on to current assets longer, thus operating older, less clean trucks in Washington, or shrink their Washington footprint in favor of non-CARB/ACT states. Washington does not have the regulatory infrastructure in place to discourage outside dispatch of trucks that do not comply with any reduced carbon or zero-emission standard.”
Call also points out that Advanced Clean Trucks was written for California, which is the fifth-largest economy in the world. Additionally, California has more incentive programs. The trucking association simply argues “Washington is not California,” and is not equipped to handle California’s large-scale zero-emission truck standards.
The Washington Trucking Association also educated the governor and state lawmakers about the significant limitations of zero-emission trucks, including costs, payload, range, refueling and infrastructure. In May, Ryder published a report revealing that replacing a diesel truck with a comparable electric truck could more than double operating costs.
Call tells Gov. Inslee that the trucking industry has been trending toward cleaner, zero-emission technology. However, she argues the Advanced Clean Trucks timeline is too aggressive and does not allow for innovation or consider current technological limitations.
In 2020, more than a dozen states signed a memorandum of understanding to expedite the electrification of trucks. The MOU is similar to the Advanced Clean Trucks rules. However, several states have jumped ship in just the past year, including Connecticut, Maine and North Carolina. The trucking association calls for Washington, also a signatory of the MOU, to join those states.
“WTA respectfully asks you and the legislature to reconsider the link to California’s emission standards and adopt the federal standards that are more suitable to Washington’s unique needs,” Call says. “Washington employers should not have to face policies created by another state, with no input from stakeholders or analysis for its impact here.”
Advanced Clean Trucks rules are being challenged in federal court. In June 2023, 19 states filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Several stakeholders have jumped in since the lawsuit was filed, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Chamber of Commerce, American Trucking Associations, Truckload Carriers Association, National Tank Truck Carriers and Specialty Equipment Market Association. LL
