EPA Finalizes Stricter Truck Emissions Standards

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will begin implementing harsher emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles starting with model year 2027. 

After 2027, the rule will continue phasing in until model year 2032, at which time the full standards will be in effect, according to the EPA’s March 29 announcement of the final rule. 

Building on the standards already in place, the regulations will eventually be an estimated 60 percent more stringent for light-heavy vehicles, 40 percent more stringent for medium-heavy vehicles and day cab tractors, 30 percent stronger for heavy-heavy trucks and 25 percent stricter for sleeper cabs, the EPA stated. 

Around $13 billion will be realized in net annualized benefits through 2055, the agency estimates. 

“The Clean Trucks Plan represents the most protective set of EPA regulations ever for the on-road sector while considering the significant emission reductions and cost savings that clean vehicle technology can provide,” the EPA said. 

Some in the trucking industry have already come out against the standards. Chris Spear, American Trucking Associations president and CEO, stated his opposition to the rule “because the post-2030 targets remain entirely unachievable given the current state of zero-emission technology, the lack of charging infrastructure and restrictions on the power grid.”