A truck and other vehicles travel along Interstate 80 in Berkeley, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
key takeaways:
- The EPA proposed rolling back emissions-system warranty requirements for new heavy-duty trucks, which would reduce expected cost increases for new equipment next year.
- The proposal sets tighter NOx limits for January while shortening warranty extensions and delaying updated useful life extensions.
- The rule would maintain the 80% NOx reduction requirement as the Trump administration looks to unwind Biden-era vehicle pollution rules.
The Environmental Protection Agency on July 9 proposed rolling back emissions-system warranty requirements for new heavy-duty trucks, which would reduce the increase in the cost of new equipment starting next year.
As expected, the EPA proposal would maintain strict nitrogen oxide emissions limits that took effect in January, but would reduce a key warranty-coverage extension and delay implementation of the updated useful life extension.
It is the latest effort by the Trump administration to dismantle Biden-era pollution rules for vehicles and other sources. In May, the agency proposed delaying emissions standards set for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles up to Class 3, starting in model year 2027.
The current version of the heavy-duty NOx rule, finalized by Biden’s EPA in late 2022, was on track to extend the useful life of heavy-duty trucks — meaning the time frame when they are expected to meet federal limits — from 435,000 miles or 10 years to 650,000 miles or 11 years.
The period during which this class of vehicles is under warranty – meaning manufacturers are legally required to repair or replace faulty emissions-related components – was set to increase from 100,000 miles or five years under the existing rule to 450,000 miles or 10 years.
EPA’s proposed amendment to the current rule maintains the key requirement that new truck engines reduce NOx emissions by more than 80%, reducing the federal limit from 200 to 35 milligrams per brake horsepower-hour.
Transportation topics contributed to this report.
