Spear said in the letter to truck and engine makers , “ By strong-arming our industry into unachievable targets and timelines void of operational and economic reality , the California Air Resources Board ’ s mad dash to zero has set our industry up for failure , sowing the seeds of another supply chain crisis . California ’ s ideological approach has cratered the truck market ; sales are down by over 50 percent compared to last year . Availability of California-certified diesel engines are hard to come by and expensive , rationed due to zero-emission truck sales requirements .”

Spear decried the agreement CARB struck with the Clean Truck Partnership , a consortium of truck makers , as “ deeply flawed and coercive ,” and urged the organization to vacate the pact , citing a lawsuit filed by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers and the “ shifting political landscape ,” which should allow the manufacturers to partner with their customers to advance their shared goal of reducing emissions .

“ As your customers and partners , we ask that you work with all members of the American Trucking Associations to forge a viable path forward . Abandon the CTP and work with us and the incoming Administration in Washington to reopen Greenhouse Gas Phase 3 and revise it with achievable , national standards that put our industry on a sustainable and successful path towards a zero-emissions vehicle future ,” Spear wrote .

The text of the letter , dated November 20 , 2024 , reads : The sustainability goals of your companies reflect our industry ’ s core values and shared mission to deliver emissions reductions through achievable national regulations . Unfortunately , regulators continue to divide our industry to advance a political agenda . This was evident in last summer ’ s agreement between the California Air Resources Board and your companies through the Clean Truck Partnership ( CTP ).

Motor carriers made clear their view that this agreement to voluntarily abide by California ’ s regulatory structure — even if struck down by the courts — constituted an abandonment of your customers and threatened to undermine our industry ’ s shared desire for one national standard .

By strong-arming our industry into unachievable targets and timelines void of operational and economic reality , CARB ’ s mad dash to zero has set our industry up for failure , sowing the seeds of another supply chain crisis . Not surprising to any of us , California ’ s ideological approach has cratered the truck market ; sales are down by over 50 percent compared to last year .

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers

Availability of California-certified diesel engines are hard to come by and expensive , rationed due to zero-emission truck sales requirements .

The lawsuit filed yesterday by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers over the Clean Truck Partnership allows manufacturers to abandon the CTP immediately and work in solidarity with the industry to deliver commonsense solutions . The shifting political landscape creates an opportunity for the industry to work with the incoming Trump Administration to course correct the impossible timelines and stringency targets laid out by California and the Environmental Protection Agency . That begins with leveraging existing , nearzero technologies that are available today thanks to the innovations of your companies . It requires a joint agreement that , as an industry engaged in interstate commerce , we need uniform national standards free of conflicting state policy to achieve regulatory certainty and success .

As your customers and partners , we ask that you work with all members of the American Trucking Associations to forge a viable path forward . Abandon the CTP and work with us and the incoming Administration in Washington to reopen Greenhouse Gas Phase 3 and revise it with achievable , national standards that put our industry on a sustainable and successful path towards a zero-emissions vehicle future . We look forward to your partnership moving forward .

The letter was addressed to : Jennifer Rumsey , chair and chief executive officer of engine maker Cummins ; John O ’ Leary , president and chief executive officer , Daimler Trucks North America ; Mathias Carlbaum , president and chief executive officer , International Motors ; Preston Feight , chief executive officer , Paccar ; and Peter Voorhoeve , president and chief executive officer , Volvo Trucks North America .

Nebraska Attorney General Hilgers said in

20 JANUARY 2025 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www . fueloilnews . com