Trucking Industry Pushes Back on Government’s Electric Mandates

Heavy truck executives are telling the federal government to tap the brakes before going all in on the electrification of heavy trucks.

Taki Darakos, Pitt Ohio’s fleet manager who oversees the acquisition and maintenance of 1,550 company-owned tractors and box trucks, testified before Congress on the technological, operational, and financial challenges fleets face as federal and state regulations mandate the adoption of battery-electric trucks.

“After meticulous evaluation and planning with our truck manufacturer, we put into service our first battery-electric trucks,” Darakos said. “Although battery-electric trucks show promise in certain applications, they are not ready for broad deployment due to technology limitations.”

Meanwhile, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) is backing a Congressional Review Act resolution that would overturn the Phase 3 Greenhouse Gas emissions standards set by the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ATA calls the EPA’s goals for heavy-duty vehicles “unachievable.”

“The American Trucking Association opposes EPA’s GHG3 rule in its current form 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,” said ATA Chief Advocacy and Public Affairs Officer Ed Gilroy.

The resolution is co-authored by Sens. Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Reps John James (R-Michigan) and Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho). It was introduced one day after ATA member Darakos of Pitt Ohio testified before Congress on the technological, operational and financial challenges fleets face as federal and state regulations mandate the adoption of battery-electric trucks.

Pitt Ohio is a freight transportation provider that operates in 14 states out of 25 terminals and employs more than 3,500 people. Pitt Ohio is the 13th-largest less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier in the country.

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