The shift to cleaner trucks is critical to building a sustainable future, and the urgency has never been greater. Across the U.S., transportation is the largest source of climate pollution and a leading cause of the toxic soot, smog, and dangerous chemicals driving up asthma, heart disease, and cancer. Despite representing just a fraction of the vehicles on the road, medium- and heavy-duty trucks play an outsized role in this crisis. For many communities nationwide, the transition to clean trucks is a life-and-death issue.
Strong Standards Are Key to Innovation, Cleaner Air, and Lower Costs
The path forward to cleaning up trucks is clear. States across the country have adopted, or are considering, standards that will increase the availability of clean, commercial truck models for fleet owners to choose from. These standards include Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT), Heavy-Duty Omnibus (HDO), and Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) programs which are designed to cut pollution while allowing businesses to smoothly and flexibly transition to cleaner vehicles over the coming years. Together with complementary federal tax credits and incentives to help manufacturers shift their supply chains towards cleaner truck production, these standards are helping to make the U.S. a global leader in clean transportation investments. The standards will help commercial fleets to have more truck options to save on fuel and operating costs, freight impacted communities will benefit from far less diesel pollution, and domestic investments and jobs will continue to grow in this area.
Commercial Truck Makers: Misleading Their Dealers and Undermining Progress
Unfortunately, in an attempt to weaken the rules, some truck makers have resorted to manufacturing a “product shortage” crisis to stoke anger and fear.
The truck makers are falsely telling dealers that the rules prevent them from selling the cleaner diesel truck models they want to buy, pushing electric truck models instead. That’s according to a recent analysis published by California officials based on interviews with dealers, upfitters, and manufacturers.
The truth is much different. The report reveals the rules do not require any of this, and in fact, provides flexibility for the truck makers to focus on the vehicle models most suitable for electrification. The rules don’t require the truck manufacturers to adopt the draconian business practices they are using, nor do they require dealers to purchase products they don’t want. What’s more, many of the truck makers are already well ahead of the current requirements. But rather than investing to train up dealers, educating customers, and competing to lower prices like in the European market, some truck makers are following the low road in pursuing shady business practices that appear to be limiting supply.
This tactic unnecessarily stirs up and angers dealers against the standards, and unfortunately, appears to be working. Dealers are now flooding elected and agency officials with misguided complaints of a truck product shortage, persuading both Oregon and Massachusetts to now delay enforcement.
This is not the only indication that manufacturers are undermining commitments to a clean truck market and transition to zero emission trucks. The report also indicates that some manufacturers are selling zero-emission trucks in North America at significantly higher prices on average — up to $80,000 more — compared to comparable trucks being sold in Europe. While companies need to turn a profit, there “appear to be no clear reasons for this disparity between regions,” raising serious questions about whether these prices are legitimate cost differences.
The Real Motive: Profits Over Progress
Why would manufacturers do this? It’s a calculated move. By manipulating dealers, truck makers are manufacturing a crisis to delay or weaken the clean truck standards. In the short-term, some truck manufacturers may get a win by slowing down the need to invest and produce new technologies (together with investing and incentivizing dealers). They would continue to benefit from federal financial incentives without delivering on their promises for a swift transition to zero-emission vehicles. But in the mid- and long-term, it’s a losing strategy. Companies that focus on short-term profits and don’t make the shift to new technologies, get their lunch eaten.
What’s Missing: Real Leadership
Manufacturers looking out for profits is one thing. But manipulating their customers and dealers and spreading misinformation to weaken or outright dismantle clean truck standards is another. They’re effectively creating a crisis where none exists, undercutting progress that’s essential to protecting public health and addressing the climate crisis. If they continue down this path, it will result in unnecessary pollution, delayed progress, failure to meet the climate commitments they’ve made, and even loss of life within frontline communities.
It’s time for truck manufacturers to stop misleading dealers, regulators, and the public. The tools are in place to help them succeed. With the flexibility of ACT credits, extended compliance timelines, and federal support, manufacturers have every opportunity to meet the clean truck standards while continuing to thrive. What’s missing is real leadership. Manufacturers need to stop manufacturing crises and instead deliver on their promises for a zero emission future.
Communities across the country are counting on it.
