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“We remain concerned that the heavy-duty NOxₓ rule imposes significant burdens at a time when the trucking industry continues to contend with a prolonged freight recession and inflationary pressures,” ATA President Chris Spear said. (ATA)

American Trucking Associations is asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to re-evaluate and make adjustments to its forthcoming nitrogen oxide emissions rules for 2027 model-year heavy-duty trucks, arguing for changes that it says will ease burdens the rule could place on trucking fleets.

“We remain concerned that the heavy-duty NOxₓ rule imposes significant burdens at a time when the trucking industry continues to contend with a prolonged freight recession and inflationary pressures,” ATA President Chris Spear said in a Feb. 17 letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. “ATA requests that EPA consider improvements that would reduce cost and complexity and ensure that any new technology that trucking is forced to adopt is reliable.”

Specifically, ATA is asking EPA to grant so-called nonconformance penalties to heavy-duty original equipment manufacturers to provide additional time to run real-world testing on these new emission control systems. This is permitted under the federal Clean Air Act, ATA noted.

In the letter, Spear stressed, “New emission control technologies required on model-year 2027 trucks are unproven on the highway, and the trucking industry is concerned that a premature rollout will disrupt our ability to efficiently move freight. The lack of compliant prototype engines and preproduction models has stalled the technology trials that normally preceded major new emissions standards. Fleets’ inability to complete operational testing leaves them unable to plan for maintenance, training or performance impacts. This absence of real-world testing raises serious concerns about downtime, service disruptions and wider supply chain impacts.”

Spear continued, “NCPs for the heavy-duty market would give manufacturers additional time and a level playing field to run real-world testing on the newly required emission control systems. Simultaneously, NCPs would allow the continued sale of proven, environmentally sound technologies that deliver dependable emissions performance and reliability for fleets. NCPs are temporary by nature, and penalties that decrease as the degree of noncompliance decreases ensure an eventual technology transition.”

In addition, ATA recommended that EPA consider expanding credit life, credit trading and credit use across different vehicle classes.

“Credit market flexibility can also ensure manufacturers remain in compliance while supplying proven technologies to the new truck market,” Spear said in the letter. “Credits earned represent real emissions reductions, and EPA should ensure credits are not unduly limited, discounted or forced to expire.”

Spear concluded, “The current heavy-duty NOx standards would pose a significant challenge for the trucking industry, likely sparking a ‘pre-buy’ that spreads additional costs across the trucking industry. Providing NCPs and credit market flexibilities for the heavy-duty market would help by blunting the disruptive impacts created by front-loaded demand.”

EPA in November declined an ATA request to fully delay the rule, but agreed to make certain changes.