Voters are returning former President Donald Trump to the White House after a sweeping electoral win, which makes him the second president in U.S. history to be re-elected after a loss.
The transportation industry could change once Trump steps into the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2025. The Republican president’s administration will have significant control over federal agency rulemaking and international trade. Republicans also gained control of the Senate and, while vote counts are not yet finalized, gained a seat in the House.
Trump plans to loosen environmental regulations and raise tariffs. These moves could slow down trucking electrification and boost continental freight movement, respectively. For fleets, that means lower operational costs and an indirect increase in freight volumes.
See also: Fleets Explained: Emissions regulations
Weaker environmental rules for trucks
Trump’s administration will have opportunities to weaken Biden-era emissions regulations.
The first Trump administration rolled back significant environmental regulations. During that first term, he notably weakened vehicle emissions standards and clean energy rules and combatted California’s vehicle emissions regulations.
After the first Trump term, the Biden administration introduced significant new emissions standards, including the contentious third-phase heavy-duty greenhouse gas emissions standards (GHG3), which received overwhelming trucking industry criticism.
The next president will likely cut environmental regulations again. Trump has already suggested that he will roll back Biden-era environmental policies.
For trucking, the result could be lower equipment costs. Emissions standards benefit overall public and environmental health but also raise the operational costs of fleets. The Clean Freight Coalition, an industry group critical of GHG3, estimates heavy-duty electrification could cost as much as $1 trillion.
The American Trucking Associations supports the measure. In a public statement this morning, ATA president and CEO Chris Spear congratulated Trump on the victory and stressed the importance of rolling back emissions standards.
"President Trump made trucking a priority throughout his first term and partnered with us to enact policies that strengthened the supply chain, grew the economy, and delivered for all Americans," Spear said. "His second term offers an historic opportunity to build upon that record and show why the best approach to governing is one paved by common sense. That begins by replacing EPA's electric-truck rule with national emission standards that are technologically achievable and account for the operational realities of our essential industry."
