
After announcing it will pause all sales of internal combustion engine trucks in Oregon, Daimler Truck North America is resuming sales of diesel trucks in the Beaver State – but with some restrictions that do very little to ease anxieties over Advanced Clean Trucks rules.
Oregon is one of five states to implement a version of California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rules this year. In those states, zero-emission trucks must make up at least 7% of all sales of model year 2025 Class 8 trucks. The rule applies only to manufacturers, not dealerships.
Zero-emission truck sales percentages are calculated using a credit/deficit system dealing with weight class modifiers, credit banking/trading, credit expirations and a slew of other requirements and flexibilities explained in a 17-page amendment to Advanced Clean Trucks. Few people outside manufacturers understand how the system works, and apparently, even manufacturers themselves are having a difficult time navigating the regulatory waters.
Confusion over how Advanced Clean Trucks rules apply to manufacturers prompted Daimler Truck in December 2024 to notify dealers that it would pause orders for new internal combustion trucks that would be registered in Oregon. A Daimler Truck spokesperson told Land Line that the pause was “due to a misunderstanding in how zero-emission vehicles credits would be recognized in the state’s implementation of the Advanced Clean Truck rule.”
Advanced Clean Trucks allows manufacturers to earn “early action” credits for zero-emission truck sales made over the past two years. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality spokesperson Susan Mills told Land Line that there was some miscommunication between the agency and Daimler Truck regarding verification of those sales.
The Oregon DEQ met with Daimler Truck immediately after the manufacturer announced the diesel truck sales pause to clarify the new rules. That appeared to be enough.
On Monday, Jan. 13, Daimler Truck confirmed with Land Line that it will continue diesel truck sales in Oregon.
“This situation underscores the necessity for feasible, obtainable and clearly defined regulations, enabling companies to align their business practices accordingly,” a Daimler Truck spokesperson told Land Line in an email. “Commercial vehicles are vital to Oregon’s economy, and DTNA values the ability to support our customers, the fleets of this nation and the state’s economy.”
Mills said the Oregon DEQ is pleased with Daimler Truck’s decision to reconsider its sales pause and to continue selling new diesel trucks in the state.
“As the lead agency tasked by Oregon’s Legislature to reduce tailpipe and greenhouse gas emissions, and as a state committed to California’s emissions standards, it is DEQ’s job to find a balance among cleaner air, public health and business interests,” Mills told Land Line in an email. “We take all concerns seriously and are always willing to talk through any questions or misunderstandings with interested parties. Our goal is to achieve a program that reduces harmful emissions and is workable in Oregon.”
Problems persist
Considering Freightliner dominates the Class 8 truck market, this news should let trucking companies in Oregon breathe a sigh of relief. However, Oregon Trucking Association President Jana Jarvis told Land Line that Advanced Clean Trucks requirements will still wreak havoc on the trucking industry.
Although the association’s members are reporting few issues, Jarvis said she is hearing from a number of less-informed trucking companies outside the association wondering why they cannot buy a truck. Companies that are not in the trucking industry but use Class 7 and 8 trucks, like construction companies, also appear to be caught off guard.
The Oregon DEQ pointed out to Land Line that Advanced Clean Trucks “does not ban the sale of new conventional diesel trucks, nor does it require dealers or businesses to purchase zero-emission trucks.” That may be true on paper, but in practice, the effects of the new rules are being passed down to dealers and businesses buying trucks.
To meet the 7% zero-emission sales target, manufacturers are requiring dealers to sell one electric truck before they can buy 13 diesel trucks. However, there is zero demand for zero-emission trucks, effectively making that 1:13 sales ratio the same as a complete pause on diesel truck sales. In New York, another state implementing Advanced Clean Trucks this year, Burr Truck had to cancel 200 diesel truck orders before 2025 even started.
“The bottom line is Daimler can sell a handful of diesel trucks,” Jarvis said. “Volvo can sell a handful of diesel trucks, and so can Paccar. It’s certainly not anywhere near where the demand is for a new truck.”
A lack of charging infrastructure and non-economically viable technology are two big reasons why trucking companies are steering clear of electric trucks as Advanced Clean Trucks attempts to force their adoption.
According to Jarvis, there is only one public charging station in Oregon, which is located at Daimler’s facility on Swan Island in Portland. That station has only three ports.
In addition to charging issues, electric trucks have a very limited mileage range. Even intrastate operations are having issues. Oregon’s mountainous terrain with steep inclines, combined with inclement weather at times, is reducing the already low mileage for electric trucks. Jarvis said one trucking company could not make an electric truck work for a 70-mile route.
“The fact of the matter is that battery electric trucks, particularly in the Class 8 space, just don’t work for the vast majority of trucking companies or companies that purchase those trucks in Oregon today,” Jarvis said.
There is some interest in the state capital to give truckers some relief from Advanced Clean Trucks. Last November, Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany, issued a letter to the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission urging it to delay the implementation of the new rules. Although that has not happened, Jarvis said that the conversation will pick back up once the state legislature begins its next session on Jan. 21.
In the meantime, Mills over at the Oregon DEQ said the agency is frequently meeting and talking to manufacturers “to listen and understand their concerns and answer questions they have.” Depending on how the situation progresses, more Advanced Clean Trucks flexibilities for Class 8 vehicles may be warranted. LL
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