Ed. Note: A version of this op-ed was previously published in the April 13 edition of the Washington Times.
A few short years ago, headlines were dominated by supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic. Who can forget the long lines wrapped around grocery stores or the frantic search to locate toilet paper rolls? Yet, through the herculean efforts of the trucking industry and other transportation professionals, America was largely able to return to normal.
Today, Americans’ biggest challenge isn’t finding goods but rather figuring out how to pay for them. A Biden-era regulation threatened to make this problem much worse. Under this misguided rule, the trucking industry would have been forced to buy more electric-powered trucks starting in 2027. By 2032, 40% of new short-haul trucks and 25% of new long-haul trucks would need to be battery-electric. The effect would have been catastrophic, constraining deliveries to homes, manufacturers and stores and raising prices when families can least afford it.
Fortunately, the Trump administration is demonstrating strong leadership to prevent this self-inflicted economic crisis, and our country has a second chance to restore a commonsense environmental framework that reduces truck emissions without jeopardizing the supply chain.
Few industries have gone the distance like trucking has to reduce our environmental impact, even as the volume of freight we are responsible for delivering has surged. Modern trucks produce 99% less nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions than those on the road decades ago and 40% less carbon emissions than those manufactured in 2010. As a result, 60 of today’s trucks emit what just one truck did in 1988.
These monumental achievements can be attributed to two factors. First, we are an industry of innovators who lead by example. Second, we built a collaborative relationship with regulators to set aggressive but achievable emission reduction goals. Regrettably, our tremendous progress was derailed when the Biden-led Environmental Protection Agency turned its back on this highly successful, cooperative model.
To be clear, electric trucks may be part of the future, but we must be realistic. Some fleets are testing them, but the initial results are mixed at best. They cost two to three times more. They transport far less cargo because of the massive weight of their battery packs. Their range is 1,000 miles less than clean-diesel engine. They require long periods of unproductive downtime for charging, and they consume an enormous amount of energy.
Ultimately, the heavy-handed push for electric trucks that fail to meet operational requirements was counterproductive and would have forced motor carriers to keep older equipment on the road longer, slowing the transition to newer, cleaner engines. The “my way or the highway” approach also blocked alternative routes to a greener future. One such example is renewable diesel, which provides double the life cycle of carbon dioxide emissions benefit relative to electric trucks for a small fraction of the cost. Other viable carbon-reducing technologies include natural gas, hydrogen and hybrids. By reopening the Biden EPA’s rule, President Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin are laying the groundwork to unleash these decarbonization solutions.
Chris Spear is the president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations.
