The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced action to rescind an Obama-era fuel efficiency rule for heavy-duty truck engines on Aug. 28, characterizing the regulation as having unfairly restricted innovation in American engine manufacturing.
The rescission carries long-term implications for fuel consumption, emissions and the operating economics of the trucking industry, which moves most of the nation’s freight and directly influences the cost of goods for American consumers.
NHTSA said the rule imposed requirements that constrained engine manufacturers and limited their ability to innovate, according to the agency. The action is consistent with the administration’s broader posture of rolling back vehicle efficiency and emissions regulations from previous administrations.
Heavy-duty truck fuel efficiency rules directly affect operating costs for the approximately 3.5 million truck drivers on U.S. roads and the companies that employ them. Fuel is typically the second-largest expense for trucking fleets after labor.
For American consumers, the decision involves a tradeoff. Looser efficiency standards may reduce compliance costs for manufacturers and fleet operators — savings that could flow through to shipping rates — but also mean trucks consume more diesel fuel per mile, increasing both fuel costs and tailpipe emissions over the long term.
Environmental and public health advocates have opposed the rescission, arguing that heavy-duty trucks are a major source of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter pollution, disproportionately affecting communities along freight corridors.
The rulemaking process requires a public comment period before the rescission can be finalized. Legal challenges from environmental organizations and state attorneys general are expected, following the pattern of previous regulatory rollbacks in the transportation sector.