Responding to Laura Watson’s Jan. 12 op-ed, “Setting the report straight on WA clear truck guidelines,” I’d wish to share my expertise from many years in trucking and the provision chain.
Our household entered the trucking enterprise in 1946 when my grandfather purchased his first two vehicles and hauled Fortunate Lager beer from Vancouver, Clark County. Our operation had grown to over 2,000 vehicles by 2013, after we bought. We’ve additionally been heavy-duty truck sellers since 1985, increasing Gordon Truck Facilities/Freightliner NW to 19 places throughout a number of Western states. We’re one of many largest sellers within the nation promoting Freightliners.
In 2020, Democrats within the Legislature handed SB 5811 adopting emissions requirements created by the California Air Assets Board. That board has a federal waiver permitting it to make use of its personal emissions requirements, addressing the distinctive points going through California. Different states might undertake CARB requirements, however they have to be accepted entire, with no variation. Washington has now outsourced our emissions to an unelected, out-of-state regulatory physique, with no potential to touch upon or affect its rulings.
Truck producers have made unimaginable progress over the past 20 years assembly EPA limits. Since 2003, particulate matter has been decreased by half, and nitrogen oxides have been decreased tenfold. I grew up round diesel vehicles from infancy (we lived for a number of years in a nook of our truck yard). Immediately’s vehicles are nowhere close to the “soiled diesel” depicted by some.
The “advanced clean trucks” guidelines require extra zero-emission automobile gross sales every year; this yr’s quota is 8%. Whereas officers declare they haven’t banned new truck gross sales, producers should comply by prioritizing ZEV gross sales, successfully limiting diesel (inner combustion engine) orders. This regulation impacts our potential to promote vehicles, as EVs aren’t prepared for business heavy-duty use.
For instance, an EV truck prices round $400,000 in comparison with $150,000 for a diesel truck. EV vehicles have a variety of about 150 miles, whereas diesel vehicles can go over 1,000 miles on a single tank. Moreover, EV vehicles weigh about 8,000 kilos extra, lowering their payload capability and making them much less environment friendly for weight-sensitive masses.
Charging infrastructure is one other main difficulty. The prevailing fueling community took many years to construct; nonetheless, there are almost zero EV charging places for vehicles. Increasing electrical capability is difficult and sometimes denied by native utilities. For example, one among our bigger dealership places in a serious supply-chain hub requested expanded capability from the native utility, solely to be advised no. This lack of infrastructure makes it tough to assist the mandated shift to ZEVs.
Whereas officers in Washington and Oregon declare that they haven’t “banned” new truck gross sales, they successfully have. As a result of producers pay a penalty and take the regulation critically, the one method they will guarantee compliance is to have sellers first present proof of a compliant ZEV sale earlier than permitting a corresponding diesel or inner combustion engine order. Regulators appear to now blame producers for trying to adjust to their laws. To be clear, producers wish to construct vehicles and we wish to promote them, no matter how they’re powered. However now we’re a dealership with no vehicles to promote.
Many people identified the folly of tying ourselves to a extremely ideological California regulatory board fixing for a unique set of challenges in probably the most radical method doable. We at the moment are utterly reliant on CARB for any modifications or implementation delays. Given latest tragic fires in Southern California, it appears they are going to probably be much more preoccupied with native points than states outdoors their purview. Washington lawmakers are handing an enormous aggressive benefit to different states not topic to those unreachable targets. Satirically, forcing fleets to forgo gross sales on new, cleaner inner combustion engine autos will prolong the lifetime of older vehicles of their fleets, assuring larger emissions than if we hadn’t lashed ourselves to California’s radical method.
It’s time to face actuality and put management again within the fingers of lawmakers and regulatory companies accountable to Washingtonians.
