Two more states halt enforcement of Advanced Clean Trucks

Two states 3,000 miles apart have come to grips with the fact that there is no demand for Class 8 electric trucks, prompting them to delay enforcement of Advanced Clean Trucks.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has signed an executive order suspending Advanced Clean Trucks until 2027. Two days later, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued a memo halting enforcement of the electric truck sales mandate for two years.

Under the new rules, 7% of truck manufacturers’ model year 2025 Class 7-8 truck sales must be zero-emission trucks. That percentage increases each year until 2032, when 40% of sales must be zero-emission trucks.

Source: International Council on Clean Transportation

Including California, 11 states have adopted Advanced Clean Trucks. Five states were supposed to start the electric truck sales rule this year: Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington. Vermont was set to begin the regulation in 2026, with the remaining states (Colorado, Maryland, New Mexico and Rhode Island) implementing it in 2027.

In his executive order, Scott said Advanced Clean Trucks has “insufficient technological advances in heavy-duty vehicles” to meet its electric truck sales requirements. He also pointed to President Donald Trump’s policies.

Scott said “tariffs and other federal disruptions are increasing costs and causing supply chain uncertainty.” Oregon’s DEQ made similar claims in its memo.

“The current federal administration has created significant uncertainty around (zero-emission vehicle) incentives, electric vehicle charging investments, manufacturing and tariffs, each of which threaten a smooth transition to medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs,” the Oregon DEQ stated in the memo. “Further, Congress is considering action to disapprove the waiver granted to the State of California, allowing the enforcement of ACT in Oregon and other states. Collectively, these activities at the federal level are creating significant uncertainty.”

On his first day of office, Trump signed an executive order that, in part, called for the termination of “state emissions waivers that function to limit sales” of internal combustion engine vehicles, a nod to Advanced Clean Trucks and Advanced Clean Cars II. The executive order also called for the immediate pause of electric vehicle charging infrastructure funding allocated in the 2021 infrastructure bill. A coalition of states is challenging that directive in court.

On April 30, the House of Representatives passed a Congressional Review Act joint resolution that would effectively kill Advanced Clean Trucks. If the bill clears the Senate and is signed into law, it will more likely be challenged in court.

Scott also acknowledged in the executive order that manufacturers “are shifting the burden” of Advanced Clean Trucks rules by requiring dealerships to buy a certain number of electric trucks before they are allowed to purchase diesel trucks. Dealerships in New York have claimed that manufacturers are requiring them to purchase one electric truck before they can order 13 diesel trucks.

Per the executive order, Vermont will not take “action against manufacturers that do not meet their sales obligations” under Advanced Clean Trucks through Dec. 31, 2026.

That offer stands as long as manufacturers do not impose electric truck sales ratios on dealerships and provide them with diesel trucks. The Agency of Natural Resources will have an email account for receiving complaints about manufacturers violating the order.

Oregon’s enforcement discretion is similar. In addition to pausing electric truck sales rules until 2027 and requiring dealerships to supply diesel trucks, manufacturers must demonstrate efforts to comply with Advanced Clean Trucks rules. That includes continuing to submit required sales and compliance reports and investing in zero-direct-emission vehicle technologies.

“I am pleased to see that Oregon recognizes the significance of the ACT issue,” Oregon Trucking Association CEO Jana Jarvis said in a statement. “This pause is necessary, and it will give time for the market for electric trucks to mature.”

Oregon and Vermont join a growing number of states scaling back their adoption of California vehicle emission rules as manufacturers struggle to meet electric vehicle sales requirements.

In April, Maryland pushed back enforcement of Advanced Clean Trucks to 2028. Soon after, Massachusetts delayed enforcement to 2027.

Stakeholders in states that have adopted Advanced Clean Trucks have urged lawmakers to at least halt enforcement for two years. The Washington Trucking Associations recently called out the state government’s double standard after it exempted certain government-owned trucks from new electric truck sales requirements while ignoring the private sector’s same concerns.

In an op-ed published by local media in New York, Trucking Association of New York President Kendra Hems expressed concerns about a lack of infrastructure necessary for trucking companies to adopt electric trucks.

“If New York truly wants to cut emissions, it must stop treating the trucking industry like the problem and start treating us like the partner we’ve always been,” Hems said. “We are committed to cleaner, more sustainable operations – but the path forward must be grounded in reality. The state can’t enforce mandates it hasn’t prepared for, then blame the industry for failing to comply. We’re not asking for a pass – we’re asking for a plan.” LL