February 25, 2025 (press release) –
Washington – Today, the trucking industry welcomed the introduction of the Transportation Freedom Act, legislation authored by Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and endorsed by the American Trucking Associations. The bill would roll back costly electric truck mandates, eliminate arbitrary state emissions waivers, and restore a balanced regulatory framework for the trucking industry.
This legislation includes key provisions that ATA has actively supported, including the repeal of the Phase 3 greenhouse gas standards, which mandate the sale of electric trucks, and the elimination of California’s ability to set de facto national emissions policy. These changes represent a critical step towards ensuring that future regulations are achievable, technology-neutral, and do not jeopardize the stability of America’s supply chain.
“Sixty trucks today emit the same amount as one truck manufactured in 1988. The trucking industry has proven our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint, but in recent years, some regulators have turned their backs on the collaborative model that made this monumental progress possible,” said American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear. “The trucking industry commends Senator Bernie Moreno for introducing the Transportation Freedom Act, which would restore commonsense at EPA and put an end to states like California creating a patchwork of unachievable timelines and targets. His legislation will prevent price hikes for consumers, allow innovation to flourish, and foster achievable national standards that put us back on the path to lowering emissions without causing supply chain disruptions.”
Trucks today produce 99% fewer nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions than those on the road decades ago, and new trucks cut carbon emissions by over 40 percent compared to a truck manufactured in 2010. As a result, 60 of today’s trucks emit what just one truck did in 1988.
The trucking industry supported the Environmental Protection Agency’s Phase 1 and Phase 2 greenhouse gas regulations and worked collaboratively with the agency to set aggressive but achievable emission reduction goals on reasonable timelines. EPA’s Phase 3 rule marked a sharp departure from this successful partnership, setting unrealistic adoption rates for battery-electric trucks. Waivers EPA granted to California for its onerous Advanced Clean Trucks and Omnibus NOx rules added further complexity and set the trucking industry up for failure.
According to a study commissioned by the Clean Freight Coalition, full electrification of the U.S. commercial truck fleet would require nearly $1 trillion in infrastructure investment alone. A report by the American Transportation Research Institute identified the many challenges related to U.S. electricity supply and demand, electric vehicle production and truck charging requirements.
Read a one-pager on the Transportation Freedom Act HERE. Read the text of the bill HERE.
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