Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, May 1, 2025:
Truck dealers urge Congress to roll back CARB emissions regs
The American Truck Dealers (ATD) group representing more than 3,200 franchised commercial truck dealers who sell new and used trucks, tractors and trailers is asking Congress to act on resolutions introduced in early April to revoke two California emissions waivers allowing more stringent regulations in the state.
ATD President Jacqueline Gelb, in a letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives, urged the passage of joint resolutions that would revoke the waivers for the California Air Resources Board’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule and Omnibus Low Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) regulation.
Geib noted that 10 other states have already adopted the ACT rule that incrementally bans the sale of diesel trucks, “creating a patchwork of regulations for truck dealers.”
“Truck dealers have been investing millions of dollars to sell and service ZEVs,” Geib said. “However, the demand for ZEVs is nowhere close to the pace necessary to meet California’s mandates. In 2024, less than 1% of Class 8 truck sales in the state were ZEVs.”
She highlighted the cost of “zero-emission” vehicles as a hurdle for adoption, noting that a typical Class 8 electric truck costs $420,000, compared to $180,000 for a comparable diesel-powered unit. She also said that “for heavy-duty ZEVs to operate reliably, a national commercial vehicle charging network is needed,” but doesn’t yet exist.
Regarding the Low-NOx rule, Geib said the regulation “has increased the price of a diesel truck and is expected to continue to increase in cost over the next two years as the industry is forced to meet unrealistic regulatory timelines. Due in part to this regulation and ACT, California’s truck diesel sales were down on average 50% in 2024 versus 2023. Congress should reject California’s NOx rule because the marginal benefits of the rule do not outweigh the significant related costs and impacts on small businesses and jobs.”
[Related: Bills in Congress seek elimination of CARB's ZEV mandate for trucks]
California DMV proposes new autonomous vehicle testing framework
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has released proposed regulations for the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on California’s public roads, focusing on both light- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles.
Under the proposed new framework, heavy-duty AVs weighing 10,001 pounds or more would now be able to be tested with a DMV-approved permit. The updated regulations also refine the guidelines for light-duty AVs, enhancing data reporting requirements and implementing recent legislative changes from AB 1777, which include updated protocols for AV interactions with first responders and a new procedure for law enforcement to report potential non-compliance with traffic regulations by AVs.
Applications received after the new regulations are implemented will be subject to a phased permitting process for AV testing and deployment. Initially, manufacturers must obtain a permit for testing with a safety driver. Subsequent phases require obtaining a Driverless Testing Permit and a Deployment Permit after completion of the required test miles and submission of a report detailing the testing conducted.
These steps ensure that manufacturers meet stringent safety requirements through a comprehensive process tailored to each manufacturer’s technology and operational environment, California DMV said.
The release of these regulations marks the start of a 45-day public comment period, which ends on June 9. Written comments can be submitted to [email protected] during the 45-day period. The proposed regulations are available on the DMV Autonomous Vehicles webpage.
After the public comment period, the DMV will conduct a public hearing to gather further input on the regulations. Details regarding the date and location of this hearing will be announced separately, closer to the event, along with an invitation for public participation.
California lawmakers during the previous two legislative sessions have voted to ban driverless trucks from operating in the state, but each time the bills were vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
[Related: California governor again spikes driverless truck ban]
