What New Sustainability Regulations Mean for Freight Drivers

Staying up to date with federal guidelines and regulations is an absolute must for long-haul truck drivers and even more so for owner-operators. Even if you work for a proactive freight forwarder or truck company that constantly keeps you informed, being aware of the latest FMCSA and DOT guidelines and regulations is always in your best interests.

For owner-operators, staying abreast of new regulations is part of managing a business. Understanding what new legislation may be forthcoming and what changes have occurred to existing and future regulations ensures you’re never caught off guard covering fees, fines, or other costs.

Here is a breakdown of the new sustainability regulations for long-haul truck drivers and owner-operators.

Advanced Clean Trucks Regulation

Enacted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in March 2021, the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) Regulation is a California state mandate requiring heavy-duty truck manufacturers to increase the volume of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) manufactured annually between 2024 and 2035. The goal of the ACT Regulation is for heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers to only sell ZEVs within the state of California by 2036.

Currently adopted by 11 other states, the ACT regulation has been rebuked by the American Trucking Association for what it sees as setting unrealistic emission standards. Citing the need for uniform standards nationwide, the American Trucking Association sees the ACT as a massive overreach and believes no single state should set emission standards for the entire country.

While the ACT was initiated by CARB and has been adopted by other states, there’s no denying that the legislation impacts interstate commerce and could lead to substantial supply chain disruptions.

Most recently, Representative John James (R-Michigan) introduced Resolution 87 in Congress, which eliminates the waiver that the ACT regulation provides California through the EPA. That resolution passed the House, and if it passes the Senate, it will become law and effectively destroy the ACT.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards (GHG3)

Signed into law on January 2nd, 2011, the Clean Air Act (CAA) allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards (GHG) across multiple light-weight, medium-weight, and heavy-duty trucks and vehicles. GHG3 simply defines the third phase of this standard, which outlines more stringent greenhouse gas emission targets for truck manufacturers.

GHG3 requires more than a 40% reduction in greenhouse gases for newly manufactured heavy-duty pickups/tractor trucks and over 50% reduction for vocational trucks by 2032. The EPA finalized the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3 (GHG3) on April 22nd, 2024, and the rule became effective on June 21st, 2024, under President Biden’s Clean Truck Plan.

Unfortunately, Phase 3 is largely seen as far too restrictive within the trucking industry, levying upwards of 700 billion industry-wide in regulatory costs and compliance fees. Most recently, on March 12th, 2025, President Trump eliminated the Biden EV Mandate. As a result, (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the EPA will revisit Phase 3 to reduce the greenhouse gas mandate percentage or eliminate Phase 3 in its entirety.

Federal NOx Regulation

The Clean Air Act of 1970 empowered the EPA to regulate nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). At first, the EPA focused on light-duty vehicles. Eventually, the EPA started to regulate heavy-duty NOx emissions from heavy-duty engine and truck manufacturers in 1974.

On December 20th, 2022, as part of the Clean Trucks Plan, the EPA launched its most aggressive NOx regulation, which changed emission requirements for heavy-duty engine manufacturers. While it was the first update affecting heavy-duty trucks in over 20 years, it was largely seen as far too restrictive and much too expensive. In addition, it requires full compliance by heavy-duty engine manufacturers by 2027.

Within the trucking industry, engine manufacturers largely viewed this new regulation as nearly impossible to attain in such a short period. For engine manufacturers, the latest NOx regulations didn’t afford them nearly enough time for engineering research, design, and testing.

Much like GHG3, President Trump has requested that the EPA reevaluate the latest NOx regulation, largely due to the high costs of compliance and the inability of engine manufacturers to attain the standards.

California’s ACF Rule

Yet another regulation launched by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) was the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) Rule of January 1st, 2024. Much like the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) Regulation, the ACF Rule requires vehicles over 8,500 pounds to be fully converted to ZEVs by 2045.

This legislation applies to commercial vehicles like SUVs and trucks, like the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Toyota Tacoma, and Ford Ranger, among others. However, while pushback on the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) Regulation came from the Federal Government, the ACF Rule was challenged in court by the Nebraska Attorney General, who, along with 15 other states, secured a settlement forcing CARB to repeal its ACF Rule.

Again, the California ACF Rule was seen as far too restrictive and much too expensive, and its repeal is viewed favorably within the trucking and fleet industry. In yet another example of how a single state regulation has an impact beyond its borders, the California ACF Rule was seen as overstepping its authority and implementing emission standards beyond California.

TRU

One piece of legislation that remains largely in effect is the Transport Refrigeration Unit Airborne Toxic Control Measure (TRU ATCM) enacted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Originally launched in 2004, the TRU ATCM underwent amendments in 2010, 2011, and most recently on February 24th, 2022.

TRU ATCM targets diesel-powered trucks or Transportation Refrigeration Units by enacting stringent emission standards while pushing for zero-emission solutions.

SmartWay Transport Partnership

The SmartWay Transport Partnership is a voluntary EPA program and partnership initiated in 2004. The goal is to empower freight carriers, long-haul trucking companies, and owner-operators to develop more efficient and less costly strategies for hauling freight. By establishing industry-wide and global benchmarks on emissions for global supply chains, the voluntary partnership helps to push low-cost, fuel-saving solutions that freight forwarders and trucking companies can adopt.

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