ROCHESTER, N.Y. — New York State is pushing trucking companies to transition to electric semis, despite challenges such as high costs, weight issues, and a lack of charging stations for commercial haulers.

News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke has been covering the complexities of this mandate for months.

State lawmakers approved the implementation of the Advance Clean Trucks (ACT) rule which mandates manufacturers sell increasing percentages of zero-emission-vehicles for medium and heavy-duty trucks.  But the manufacturers, dealers and companies that use trucks to transport goods say the industry is not ready, partially because the state hasn’t held up its end of the bargain by installing charging stations.   

Kendra Hems, President of the Trucking Association of New York, highlighted the progress made in reducing emissions. “It would now take 60 of today’s trucks to emit the same emissions as a single truck did in 1988,” she said. “Our trucks are cleaner than they’ve ever been, and we’re continuing to make progress on that.”

Despite the advancements, New York implemented the ACT rule in January which requires dealers sell an electric semi before earning credits to sell more diesel trucks.

The lack of charging infrastructure remains a significant hurdle. “The rule was adopted in 2021, and in three years’ time, the state hasn’t put any infrastructure in place,” Hems noted. There is not a single commercial charger on the NYS Thruway.

News10NBC brought the concerns of local trucking companies’ to the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which explained that changes in New York’s regulations depend on adjustments made by California.

“California has a waiver from the federal government that allows them to regulate vehicles outside of their borders. Other states can adopt it, but they have to be identical,” Helms explains, “the only way New York can modify its regulations is if California makes changes first.” 

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has proposed to revise the ACT regulation to provide additional compliance flexibilities as agreed upon with medium and heavy-duty truck and engine manufacturers and their trade association.  Once that happens, NYS DEC intends to take action to adopt the CARB amendments, so as to incorporate the additional compliance flexibilities into the ACT regulation for New York but there’s not a firm time-table on when that will happen.

If it doesn’t happen soon, Senator Jeremy Cooney (D, Rochester) has introduced legislation to delay the whole mandate.  He tells News10NBC, “I remain fully committed to New York’s climate goals that create a cleaner, healthier state for all. I also recognize the work needed to put infrastructure in place that supports zero-emission trucking. I prefer a regulatory delay from the DEC to implement these requirements, but if updates are not made that balance our environmental goals with the realities on the roads, I will push for my bill to ensure New York is fully prepared for our transition towards a clean energy future without harming existing commerce.”

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