Time is running short for action at the New Jersey statehouse to delay an electric truck mandate slated to take effect the first of the year.
At issue is the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s adoption of the Advanced Clean Trucks electric vehicle mandate. The mandate for medium- and heavy-duty trucks is described as closely aligning the Garden State’s vehicle electrification requirements with California’s standards.
The Advanced Clean Trucks regulation is set to be implemented in New Jersey on Jan. 1, 2025.
The regulation requires manufacturers of trucks weighing in excess of 8,500 pounds to sell an increasing percentage of zero-emission vehicles each year. The percentage would cap at 40% to 75% annual sales in 2035, depending on the type of vehicle sold.
Assembly Bill 4967
The New Jersey Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee voted unanimously to advance a bill that would delay implementation of the truck regulations for at least two years.
Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman Clinton Calabrese, D-Bergen, said he has “steadfast support” for the regulation and its objective.
“While regulations are an important step, there are significant challenges that need to be addressed,” Calabrese said during the hearing. “Challenges that include electric truck costs for end users and a lack of sufficient charging networks warrant a delay.”
He added that A4967 “is part of a broader effort to navigate the complex challenges” of the Advanced Clean Trucks rule.
Assemblyman Mike Inganamort, R-Chester, spoke in favor of the legislation.
“Forcing dealers to sell only battery-powered commercial trucks … when we do not have the infrastructure or the demand is a death wish for New Jersey’s small- and medium-sized businesses and the state’s economy,” Inganamort said in a released statement.
The bill could be considered on the Assembly floor. If approved there, it would move to the Senate.
🚨 Two-year delay of the Advanced Clean Truck mandate PASSES in Committee. Governor Murphy’s anti-consumer Energy Master Plan is showing cracks. @NJAssemblyGOP https://t.co/OqJEpaY8d4
— Mike Inganamort (@MikeInganamort) December 12, 2024
Cart before the horse
Many New Jersey groups and individuals were at the statehouse to make known their opposition to the electric vehicle mandate for trucks.
The New Jersey Motor Truck Association was among the groups to speak directly to lawmakers about the need to delay the truck mandate.
NJMTA President Helder Rebelo is the director of fleet maintenance and safety for Daybreak Express in Newark, N.J. He told the committee that among the problems the mandate presents for truck drivers is that the cost of an electric truck is three times the cost of a diesel truck.
“We work on very small profit margins. We can’t triple the cost of a truck. In order for us to afford that truck, we are just going to have to pass it down to the consumer,” Rebelo said. “At the end of the day, the consumer is going to wind up paying more for the product on the shelves.”
Eric DeGesero, a NJMTA lobbyist, added that a lack of public charging stations itself warrants a delay to the Advanced Clean Trucks rule.
“This bill, very importantly, does not pull us out of ACT. It does not say the legislature is disapproving of ACT. It’s simply saying we are not ready to take this on (Jan. 1),” DeGesero said.
Additionally, he said New Jersey is placing the cart before the horse by charging ahead with a law that has proved to be problematic in California.
“New Jersey has an opportunity to learn from the many faults made by those in California,” DeGesero added.
New Jersey not alone in pursuing implementation delay
New Jersey is one of 10 states to adopt California’s truck rule. Stakeholders in multiple states are pursuing a pause to the rule.
Land Line recently covered an effort in Oregon to delay the state’s implementation of the electric vehicle rule.
Advanced Clean Trucks is also being challenged in federal court. State attorneys general around the country and a coalition of stakeholders, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit claiming the rule is unconstitutional. That case is pending. LL
Land Line Associate Editor Tyson Fisher contributed to this report.
More Land Line coverage of state news is available.
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