Truck drivers trade group the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has joined a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new standards for cutting heavy-duty (HD) vehicle emissions, saying that the electric vehicle (EV) technology needed to support the change is yet ready for deployment at that scale.
The suit was filed by the American Petroleum Institute (API), which is the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry. In addition to OOIDA, parties supporting API’s move include the National Corn Growers Association and the American Farm Bureau Federation. Together, the groups are criticizing an EPA plan finalized in April to set federal emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles, including commercial vehicles, for model years 2027 to 2032.
Specifically, the suit challenges the EPA rule titled “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles—Phase 3,” published at 89 Fed. Reg. 29,440 (April 22, 2024). Since its draft versions have been announced, transportation groups have generally reacted with skepticism to the rule’s standard requiring more zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), saying it moves too fast for existing EV technology and charging infrastructure.
In its statement announcing the lawsuit, the API cited the EPA’s projection that over 40% of vocational vehicles (work trucks) would need to be ZEVs by model year 2032. Additionally, long-haul tractors (semi-trucks), which currently have no ZEV deployment, would need to go from zero percent today to 25% of the fleet by model year 2032.
“Small business truckers make up 96% of trucking and could be regulated out of existence if the EPA’s unworkable heavy-duty rule comes into effect,” Todd Spencer, president of OOIDA, said in a release. “This rule would devastate the reliability of America’s supply chain and ultimately increase costs for consumers.”
