Will 2025 Delay Strict EV Mandates in Trucking? The Pushback Against EV Trucks and Legislative Challenges

As state-level mandates for zero-emission trucks take root across the U.S., industry stakeholders in states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania are voicing significant concerns.

These aggressive mandates, modeled on California’s Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) regulations, aim to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles in medium- and heavy-duty fleets.

While these policies seek to address environmental and public health challenges, they also pose logistical, financial, and infrastructural hurdles for manufacturers, dealers, and fleet operators.

New Jersey Dealers Push Back on ACT Rules

New Jersey dealers are challenging the state’s impending implementation of ACT rules, which require manufacturers to ensure that at least 7% of their sales are zero-emission trucks. While these rules officially apply to manufacturers, dealers argue they are on the front lines of adoption, facing low consumer demand, high costs, and infrastructure challenges.

Dealers highlight the difficulty of selling zero-emission trucks, particularly Class 7 and 8 vehicles, due to range limitations, charging infrastructure deficits, and high upfront costs. Environmental groups, however, argue that the flexibility built into the rules makes them feasible and emphasize the public health benefits of reduced diesel emissions.

New Jersey’s Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese introduced a bill to delay these mandates by two years, citing dealer concerns.

Although the legislation advanced in committee, it lacks broad support and is unlikely to pass before the rules take effect in January.

Related: 2025 Trucking Regulation Freeze: Expect DOT Regulations to Slow in Trump Administration

Pennsylvania Lawsuit Against California-Inspired Emissions Standards

Pennsylvania’s trucking industry is similarly pushing back against California-inspired emissions regulations.

The Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association (PMTA) and its members have filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s automatic adoption of California’s emissions standards. These rules impose increasingly stringent requirements, including extended warranties for diesel engines, which industry stakeholders argue will drive up costs and place local businesses at a competitive disadvantage.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has temporarily suspended enforcement of some of these standards but intends to enforce them for 2027 model year vehicles and beyond.

Infrastructure and Economic Concerns

A major obstacle to transitioning to zero-emission trucks is the lack of adequate charging infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Standards, finalized in 2023, do not currently address the unique needs of these vehicles, such as higher power demands and the requirements for long-haul trucking.

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) estimates that equipping truck parking spaces with chargers would cost over $35 billion.

In addition, the higher upfront costs of electric trucks, compounded by federal excise taxes (FET) and extended warranties mandated by California regulations, pose financial challenges for fleets.

Many industry stakeholders advocate for a repeal of the FET to ease the financial burden and encourage adoption.

Broader Industry Concerns

The transition to zero-emission trucks was highlighted for the first time in ATRI’s 2023 list of top industry concerns, ranking 10th overall.

Respondents emphasized the need for further research into the safety implications of battery-electric trucks, including risks associated with battery fires and increased vehicle weights.

Fuel prices, which ranked third on ATRI’s list, remain a pressing issue, with the trucking industry advocating for federal action to stabilize costs and expand access to alternative and renewable fuels.

A National Debate

The adoption of California’s ACT regulations by 16 other states has sparked a nationwide debate. Proponents argue that these rules are necessary to combat climate change and reduce health risks from diesel emissions. Critics, however, highlight the financial and logistical challenges, warning that hasty implementation could disrupt supply chains and increase consumer costs.

As states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania grapple with these mandates, incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s transition team is recommending sweeping changes to cut off support for electric vehicles and charging stations and to strengthen measures blocking cars, components and battery materials from China. The transition team also recommends imposing tariffs on all battery materials globally, a bid to boost U.S. production, and then negotiating individual exemptions with allies.

While the push for zero-emission vehicles aligns with current environmental goals, the path forward must balance ambition with feasibility to ensure a sustainable transition and the next couple years will be critical in how this transition plays out.

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