Trucking industry lobbies for leverage in transition to zero emissions

A group of trucking carriers, manufacturers, and dealers will cooperate in advocating for the transportation sector’s goals in setting public policies around emissions cuts and greenhouse gas reductions, the partners announced today.

Five founding members said they had launched the Clean Freight Coalition (CFC) to serve as a collective voice for the trucking industry as they work to promote their work, educate policy makers, and advocate for public policies in alignment with their views.

The founders include: the American Trucking Associations (ATA); American Truck Dealers (ATD), a division of the National Automobile Dealers Association; the National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC); the Truck & Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA); and the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA).

Leading the new group will be the CFC’s founding executive director Jim Mullen, who has previously served as acting administrator and chief counsel of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), chief administrative and legal officer of the autonomous truck developer TuSimple, and general counsel for trucking company Werner Enterprises Inc. “Trucking is the backbone of our economy and critical to the nation’s supply chain. It is an honor to lead the CFC in its pursuit to get to zero emissions in a responsible and feasible manner,” Mullen said in a release.

According to statements from CFC members, the group will advocate for policies concerning the timeline for implementing new technologies, financial backing from state and federal leaders for building new infrastructures, plans from policymakers for a smooth transition to new platforms, and carrier involvement in testing new approaches.