Trucks Clips: February 10, 2025

 

 

First big trip. “Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is scheduled to visit North Carolina and Tennessee this morning to survey the damage that Hurricane Helene caused to Interstate 40. He will get an update on recovery and rebuilding efforts.” [Politico, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

All aboard. “DOT announced more political appointees Friday. They are: Anne Byrd, senior adviser in the Office of the Secretary; Daniel Abrahamson, senior adviser in the Office of the Secretary; John Grant Burdette, special assistant in the Office of the Public Liaison; Kyle Garrett, special assistant in the Office of Research and Technology; Hannah Matesic, deputy assistant secretary for congressional affairs (House) in the Office of Governmental Affairs; Keith Coyle, chief counsel at PHMSA; Sofia Dudkovsky, special assistant at NHTSA; Sean Rushton, director of communications at NHTSA; Melissa Mejias, director of governmental and legislative affairs at the FTA; Matthew Schuck, director of communications and senior governmental affairs officer at the FMCSA; and John Schultz, special assistant at the FRA.” [Politico, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

Trump admin’s legal team at DOT takes shape. “President Donald Trump’s administration may have just given a hint of its agenda for the trucking industry with a raft of new appointments during a regulatory freeze. Some of the trucking-facing appointments have experience with legal counsel for big fleets, in government, and in the autonomous vehicle space. Jesse Elison, the new Chief Legal Counsel at Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, is probably the most consequential trucking-facing role announced so far. Elison is an accomplished lawyer and author who led the legal teams at Montgomery Transport and the Bennett Family of Companies before becoming a partner at Taylor Nelson PL, a transportation law firm. … Another key player in the FMCSA under Trump and Secretary Sean Duffy is Adrienne Camire, former Chief Counsel at the Federal Highway Administration, who will now serve as the Senior Advisor to the Administrator at FMCSA.” [Overdrive, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

Bidding farewell. “If confirmed by the Senate, Steven Bradbury, Trump’s pick to be deputy DOT secretary, will resign from the Heritage Foundation, where he is a distinguished fellow, according to his ethics agreement and financial disclosure, which were published Saturday. (Bradbury reported $259,716 in recent income from the conservative organization.) — In the year after he resigns, Bradbury pledges to not ‘personally’ and ‘substantially’ participate in any matter in which Heritage is a party, or represents a party, unless he first gets written authorization to do so by a government official. (As MT readers will know, Bradbury is a longtime lawyer who helped craft Project 2025.)” [Politico, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

AP | USDOT ends ‘woke policies’ in line with Trump administration, revokes GHG measurement rule. “WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), now under the leadership of Secretary Sean Duffy, made sweeping moves last week to end what it referred to as ‘woke policies’ and slashed several directives relating to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. Duffy, a former Wisconsin House representative and television personality, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn in to lead USDOT mere days before an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet near Reagan Washington National Airport. ... In 2022, the transportation sector was the leading emitter of GHG emissions in the U.S., according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data. Last March, the EPA set new emission standards for heavy-duty trucks, buses and other large vehicles. The steps could help curb excess plantet-warming GHG emissions from the sector, the agency said in a report by The Associated Press.” [KSAT-TV, 02/10/25 (-)]

 

 

EPA lifts one spending freeze and announces another. “The unfreezing of funds and the compliance review are the latest wrinkles in a two-week drama over Inflation Reduction Act and infrastructure law grants that are already contracted to government agencies and nonprofits all over the country. ... On Jan. 28, most EPA grant recipients lost access to funds from both laws. Then, early last week, most participants in the agency’s infrastructure law programs regained access to funding — with the exception of a program that helps school districts procure clean school buses. ... Four grant participants, granted anonymity to avoid reprisals, said they could access funds for IRA programs by late Friday. One participant in the clean school bus initiative said it remained frozen.” [Politico, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Industry Groups Seek To Pause Suits Against Multiple EPA Vehicle Rules. “Industry groups are asking an appellate court to suspend suits against three EPA vehicle emissions regulations -- its multi-pollutant standards for model year 2027 and later passenger vehicles, MY23-26 auto greenhouse gas standards, and heavy truck GHG standards -- given Trump administration pledges to reconsider EPA’s vehicle programs. In addition, EPA itself is also asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to pause litigation over the Biden administration’s methane standards for oil and gas equipment -- part of a wave of requests to pause suits over major rulemakings so the new administration can review and likely scale back those measures. The industry requests in the vehicle cases -- which EPA is not opposing -- also come as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has already pressed the D.C. Circuit to hold in abeyance separate litigation against MY24-26 vehicle fuel economy standards, as well as a subsequent round of standards being challenged in the 6th Circuit. However, the Zero Emissions Transportation Association (ZETA) is opposing the bids to suspend the suits over the multi-pollutant and heavy truck emissions rules.” [Inside EPA, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Diesel OEMs Working to Meet 2027 EPA Standards. “The Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board have established that NOx and particulate emissions from diesel trucks have an adverse effect on respiratory and cardiac health. Since 2010, truck diesels have used exhaust gas recirculation together with selective catalytic reduction requiring the use of diesel exhaust fluid to get rid of most of the NOx in diesel exhaust. At the same time, the diesel particulate filter introduced in 2007, along with improved combustion systems, controlled particulate matter. The two systems appeared to be extremely effective, but as time went by, regulators discovered deterioration in the performance of both forms of aftertreatment, especially the SCR system, when trucks were crawling along the highway, as happens in heavy traffic. An EPA press release on the 2027 Clean Trucks Plan final rulemaking states, ‘The final rule ... establishes not only new, much more stringent NOx standards compared to today’s standards, but also requires lower NOx emissions over a much wider range of testing conditions.’” [Transport Topics, 02/08/25 (=)]

 

Top Biden EV Bus Maker Nears Bankruptcy, Leaving School Districts and Tens of Millions of Taxpayer Dollars in Limbo. “The Biden administration awarded Canadian electric bus company Lion Electric nearly $160 million to manufacture hundreds of battery-powered buses for school districts nationwide as part of its sweeping climate agenda. In recent weeks, Lion has initiated bankruptcy proceedings, laid off all employees tasked with building its buses, and paused manufacturing operations. Lion’s financial demise leaves dozens of school districts—including those in California, Montana, North Dakota, Iowa, Alabama, and Maryland—questioning whether they will receive the buses the Biden administration promised them. Lion has yet to deliver $95 million worth of electric buses to 55 districts across the country, according to federal data reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon. ’At this time we are working through the proper channels and keeping our attorneys abreast of the situation,’ Dawn Wallace, the superintendent of Ohio Valley School District in Adams County, Ohio, which ordered buses from Lion, told the Free Beacon. ’No buses have been delivered to our district. We are on hold.’” [The Washington Free Beacon, 02/07/25 (-)]

 

 

Supreme Court rebuffs Trump admin bids to pause EPA cases. “GREENWIRE | In a setback for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court has rejected requests to freeze proceedings in a set of pending cases, including one involving California’s long-standing authority to set strict tailpipe emissions for vehicles. The court, without elaborating, said Thursday it would deny the acting solicitor general’s request to pump the brakes on Diamond Alternative Energy v. EPA, as well as other cases that center on jurisdiction over Clean Air Act litigation. The challenge to California’s Clean Air Act waiver is still in the briefing stage. Briefs for the government are due Feb. 26. Oil and biofuel industry lawyers have asked the justices to yank California’s decades-old waiver, arguing that the state should not be given special privileges to set greenhouse gas emissions standards that are stronger than the federal government’s. The Golden State had held its waiver for about 50 years before the Trump administration withdrew it. When former President Joe Biden reinstated it in 2022, conservative interests sued and lost in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.” [Politico, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Supreme Court Declines To Pause California Waiver, Air Act Venue Cases. “The Supreme Court is refusing Trump administration requests to pause major Clean Air Act cases involving the Biden EPA’s preemption waivers for California vehicle emissions rules and battles over the correct court venue for suits over states’ interstate ozone plans and refiners’ requests for renewable fuel standard (RFS) compliance waivers. In a Feb. 6 order, the court without explanation denied abeyance in the three suits, after parties on different sides of the various disputes opposed the Justice Department’s (DOJ) request to pause proceedings while the new administration decides on its next steps. The justices’ denials mean the new EPA team under Administrator Lee Zeldin and DOJ now are under pressure to quickly determine their policy positions on the issues, and to devise litigation strategy accordingly. In a Jan. 24 motion in Diamond Alternative Energy, et al. v. EPA, et al., EPA asked for an abeyance so it can reconsider its position in the litigation that concerns a 2022 EPA preemption waiver granted to California for the state’s zero emission vehicle and auto greenhouse gas rules.” [Inside EPA, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

States Move To Enforce Court Block Of Funding Freeze, Citing Violations. “Democratic states are asking a federal judge in Rhode Island to issue a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration’s unilateral funding freeze and enforce an existing restraining order amid widespread noncompliance, particularly for EPA grants under the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Plaintiff states in New York, et al. v. Donald Trump, et al. filed Feb. 7 motions for a preliminary injunction and enforcement of the existing temporary restraining order (TRO), arguing the freeze constitutes a major overreach of executive power against Congress’ constitutional authority to obligate funding, and that large amounts of money remain frozen. But Trump administration attorneys are pushing back, arguing that a Trump executive order barring disbursement of BIL and IRA funds is exempt from the court’s orders to release congressionally obligated funding. ... A congressional source told Inside EPA in a Feb. 7 email that they were aware of Solar For All and clean school bus funding remaining frozen, noting that EPA had not responded to congressional requests for information on the matter.” [Inside EPA, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

 

ReVolt Motors

 

ReVolt Says Its Hybrid Powertrain For Class 8 Trucks Can Save 40% On Fuel Costs. “Why throw away a perfectly good Class 8 tractor for a new battery electric truck when you can re-power it at half the cost and pay for the upgrade in a little over a year? That’s the business proposition ReVolt is offering the trucking industry. The company has created a replacement powertrain for Class 8 trucks. Think of it as a version of the Voltec system GM created for the Chevy Volt more than a decade ago. Like the Voltec, the ReVolt system is a series hybrid, which means the driven wheels are powered by an electric motor that gets its electrons from a battery. That battery can be recharged from an external power source just like any battery electric vehicle, but Class 8 trucks often need to go further than they can travel on battery power alone. That’s where the ReVolt system comes in. It includes an onboard internal combustion engine to power a generator that sends electrons to the battery while driving.” [CleanTechnica, 02/10/25 (+)]

 

Rivian

 

Rivian will now sell its commercial van to any fleet, starting at $79,900. “Rumors leaked last week, and now it’s official: the Rivian Commercial Van is now available to order for fleets of any size, even down to a single van – but still only for businesses, not individuals. Rivian first announced it would make electric delivery vans in 2019, as part of a partnership with Amazon, who ordered 100,000 of the vehicles. The company has delivered around 20,000 of the vans to Amazon so far. The Amazon agreement included a 4 year exclusivity period, where Rivian would only sell vans to Amazon, and no other buyers. That exclusivity period ended in November 2023, and Rivian has been offering up its van to other partners. When that period ended, Rivian also renamed its vehicle from the ‘Electric Delivery Van’ to ‘Rivian Commercial Vehicle,’ indicating that it would like to sell it for purposes other than deliveries – think contractors, handymen, food trucks (please! I hate smelling exhaust instead of food!) and so on.” [Electrek, 02/10/25 (+)]

 

Rivian Van Orders Open: Anyone With A Business Can Buy An RCV. “Rivian’s Electric Delivery Van (EDV) has been on the road for years, faithfully delivering your Amazon packages if you live in a more urban area. But the automotive upstart has long had broader ambitions for its van platform, and today they’re being realized. The Rivian Commercial Van (RCV)—on which the EDV is based—is now available for all business customers. Rivian announced Monday that it would begin selling the vans to fleet customers. It’ll come in two configurations: The smaller RCV 500 and the larger RCV 700. The RCV 500 comes with up to 161 miles of range, while the 700 can cover 153 miles on charge. Both are exclusively available with front-wheel drive.” [Inside EVs, 02/10/25 (+)]

 

TRC Companies

 

Milestone: TRC reaches $2 billion in commercial ZEV funding. “Consulting firm TRC has made a name for itself in the clean trucking space both for managing the ACT Expo and helping commercial fleets navigate the increasingly complex world of ZEV incentives. This week, the company reached a major milestone: $2 billion in funding! Over the last few years, GNA (which was acquired by TRC in 2023) has developed and submitted more than 650 successful grant applications and funding requests on behalf of its clients, helping them to achieve their environmental and sustainability goals while saving money on total cost of ownership in the process. ‘We feel privileged to assist forward-thinking companies to achieve their goals to develop and demonstrate the commercial use of some of the most cutting-edge and advanced technologies in the marketplace today,’ said Erik Neandross, President, Clean Transportation Solutions at TRC. ‘Managing multi-million-dollar grant applications can be daunting, but our team’s tenacity and knowledge ensures that our clients will successfully achieve their objectives while they remain focused on their core business activities.’” [Electrek, 02/08/25 (+)]

 

 

Illinois

 

Gov. Pritzker, Illinois EPA Announce $58 Million in Grant Funding for Electric Public Transit Buses. “Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as officials from Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), to celebrate the award of two grants totaling $58 million (Pace, $27 million; RTA on behalf of CTA, $31 million). The funding will be used to purchase all-electric Class 8 public transit buses – replacing older, higher-emitting buses with 57 new, advanced technology, zero-emission buses (27 Pace buses and 30 CTA buses). The projects are funded through the State’s allocation from the Volkswagen (VW) Settlement. ‘Illinoisans of all backgrounds depend on Pace and the CTA. Whether commuting to work, visiting friends and family, or running their everyday errands – the convenience and efficiency of these systems is absolutely essential to their everyday lives,’ said Governor JB Pritzker. ‘Pace has added 27 new, fully electric buses – along with 30 that will join the CTA fleet. This is an investment that will help us meet our climate goals, create opportunity for our people, and further connect our communities. Electric buses are vital to the future of transit – clean, reliable, and convenient – and I’m excited to be taking a step toward that future today.’” [Riverbender, 02/08/25 (+)]

 

Missouri

 

Ritenour waits in limbo for promised EV buses, and plans to ask for official help. “ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) — Several days after announcing three new EV school buses, Ritenour officials tell First Alert 4 they still aren’t sure when they can get the remaining 21 buses — currently sitting on a lot in Illinois. We first brought you this story on Tuesday, funded through an EPA grant. First Alert 4 has been reaching out to several groups involved, including the Environmental Protection Agency, about the status of the Clean School Bus Program, which provides billions of dollars to school districts nationwide to switch from diesel buses to electric-powered vehicles. Ritenour was in an interesting place, they applied for the grant some time ago and received it. Then, after purchasing three of the 21 buses they agreed to get a federal pause on EPA clean energy initiatives put the future of the EV fleet in limbo, according to district officials.” [firstalert4.com, 02/08/25 (=)]

 

Nevada

 

EPA partially unfreezes NV solar funding, but $7M for school buses, $20M for Tribes, still in doubt. “Following a federal judge’s order, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has lifted the funding freeze on $156 million in community solar for Nevada, but other program funds remain paused. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Monday to lift a funding freeze affecting climate-related programs under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and Inflation Reduction Act, allowing the Nevada Clean Energy Fund to regain access to millions in funding legally obligated to the state on Friday. ... The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funds have been frozen since Jan. 20, when President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the immediate halt of energy grants, loans, and contracts funded through the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. But not all funds have been returned to Nevada despite the court order, including $7.7 million legally obligated to Nevada under the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program. The funds would cover the deployment of 25 new electric school buses across Nevada, with no upfront cost to schools. Nevada’s rural counties are the largest benefactors of the Clean School Bus Program, with awards promised to Lander County, Elko County, Lyon County, Douglas County, and Carson City School Districts.” [Nevada Current, 02/08/25 (=)]

 

Federal funds for Nevada solar, home energy efficiency upgrades in limbo. “I’ve written several articles in the past two years about how much Nevada stands to benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The only state in the country with an active lithium mine, the Silver State has received enormous investment, buoyed by federal incentives in the 2022 law, to activate the lithium loop. State agencies and groups have diligently applied for their share of various federal pots for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvement goals, from electric school buses to solar installations to electric appliance rebates. But rather than processing applications from Nevadans, state agencies and groups are now at an impasse — because the Trump administration has unilaterally frozen these funds under an executive order pausing all IRA disbursements Is it legal? That’s a question for the courts to decide. But for state groups expecting the money — one of the safest bets in business — the more pressing question is how to plan moving forward. Let’s get into it.” [The Nevada Independent, 02/08/25 (=)]

 

Oregon

 

Proposed Legislation Threatens Oregon’s Plan to Reduce Diesel Truck Emissions. “When Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission approved the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule in 2021, many people celebrated the move as an important step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality. Emissions from diesel trucks make up a significant chunk of national and statewide greenhouse gas emissions, and exposure to diesel particulate matter is known to increase the risk of significant health problems, including heart attack and cancer. Oregon’s ACT regulations aim to increase the number of zero-emission trucks on the road by requiring a percentage of new, heavy-duty trucks to be electric, hopefully reducing diesel pollution. Now, a bill in the Oregon Legislature threatens to delay the ACT rule’s implementation, encouraged by truck manufacturers who say they’re unprepared to meet the regulatory requirements. If passed, the bill to delay the rule could have serious consequences for the effort to reduce carbon emissions from the trucking industry—not just in Oregon, but across the United States.” [The Portland Mercury, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Washington

 

WMATA awards New Flyer contract for 500 zero-emission and hybrid buses. “NFI Group Inc. (NFI), a subsidiary of New Flyer of America Inc. (New Flyer), has been awarded a contract for a mix of zero-emission and hybrid buses with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). NFI notes the contract encompasses up to 500 buses, including a firm order for 75 Xcelsior® hybrid-electric 40-foot transit buses and 25 Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ 35-foot battery-electric buses and options for up to 400 additional buses. WMATA provides Metrorail and Metrobus transit services for more than six million people across the National Capital Region, which includes the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Metrobus operates a fleet of 1,500 buses and provides services 24/7. ‘New Flyer and [WMATA] have enjoyed working together for 30 years,’ said NFI President Chris Stoddart. ‘This new contract for the latest bus technology embraces healthy contracting measures and is paving the way for long-term benefits for both [WMATA] and New Flyer. By striking a balance between bonding and payment schedules, it offers flexibility in pricing and delivery timelines to mitigate potential supply chain disruptions or other challenges.’” [Mass Transit, 02/07/25 (+)]

 

 

Misc. Opinion

 

Op-Ed: Biden’s Energy Handouts Make USAID Look Like a Lemonade. According to Larry Behrens, “The conflicts of interest don’t stop there. Granholm owned stock in electric bus manufacturer Proterra while the White House actively promoted the company. This glaring conflict of interest only came to light and then Proterra declared bankruptcy, leaving taxpayers on the hook for yet another failed green energy venture. These examples illustrate a broader pattern within the Biden administration’s green energy agenda: massive government loans being doled out to politically connected firms with little regard for their financial stability or the likelihood of repayment. All of this was made possible by the so-called Inflation Reduction Act (IRA,) which became the largest green slush fund in American history. Inspector generals across Washington, D.C. have expressed concerns that funds from the IRA were being distributed so rapidly that oversight mechanisms couldn’t keep up. This raises the likelihood that billions of taxpayer dollars were squandered on projects that may never deliver meaningful results. The Biden administration also made a concerted effort to lock in loan contracts before leaving office, making it more difficult for the incoming Trump administration to put a stop to this reckless spending spree.” [Townhall, 02/09/25 (-)]

 

 

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