Donald Trump’s second administration is off to a fast start, laying the groundwork to chip away at the Biden administration environmental policies that have rankled trucking industry leaders who believe that zero-emission vehicle technology is not ready to replace the trucks that move most U.S. freight.
“Since the election, there has been this positive sort of feeling among a lot of those in trucking that we’re not going to be forced to buy and sell ZEVs,” Lydia Vieth, a researcher with ACT Research, said during the latest episode of Market Pulse on FleetOwner.com.
Vieth details why she believes that the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2027 low-NOx emissions goals have a better chance of surviving the coming years than Greenhouse Gas Emissions Phase 3, which pushes yet-to-be-proven clean technology on the freight industry.
See also: How federal agencies will regulate trucking in 2025
“The key difference here is the GHG3 rule definitely will include some ZEV sales to meet standards, [while] the ’27 NOx rule is just tailpipe emissions,” Vieth explained. “You’re still selling diesel vehicles … though there is some additional expense that comes with that—with the new useful life and warranty standards. But it’s not what you would call an attack on oil.”
Along with breaking down the differences between the EPA 2027 low NOx regulations and the GHG Phase 3 rules, the Market Pulse episode discusses potential rollbacks of aggressive ZEV mandates, the challenges facing fleet adoption of alternative fuel vehicles, and the long-term outlook for regulatory stability and technology development on federal and local levels.
Despite what the Trump administration is pushing, global truck and engine manufacturers are still developing clean technologies—and many have long-term decarbonization goals.
“Another reason that I think the 2027 NOx rule is stickier is that we’re well into these development and planning cycles that manufacturers have put lots of time, lots of money into developing compliant engines,” Vieth added. “I don’t think they would be happy if the plug got pulled on them … Stability over the long term is what manufacturers are thinking about. What does the long game look like? Not just what the current administration is thinking.”
What does this mean for the future of trucking? Watch the entire discussion on FleetOwner’s YouTube channel. Please take the time to like the video and subscribe so you don’t miss future Market Pulse episodes and other FleetOwner multimedia content.
