Rudy Diaz, owner of Hight Logistics, is among many in California’s trucking industry facing uncertainty after California regulators withdrew their clean truck plan. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) had originally planned to require some of the more than 30,000 trucks that move cargo in and out of ports to start using semis that don’t emit carbon dioxide. However, after Trump’s election, CARB withdrew the plan, which required a federal waiver, anticipating that his administration, closely aligned with the oil industry, would reject it.
This decision prevents California from forcing trucking businesses to clean up their fleets, marking a significant setback for the state’s ability to enforce stricter emission standards than federal regulations. For Hight Logistics, which operates 20 electric semis with chargers in its Long Beach yard, this creates particular challenges. While Diaz reports achieving significant cost savings with his electric fleet, he now fears competitors deploying much cheaper diesel vehicles will have an advantage, noting “It makes me nervous — we invested in this infrastructure and these new trucks hoping that the waiver will pass.”
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Image: Mark Abramson For The New York Times
