BUTLER,PA – July 2024
An interview with industry experts: Paul Fehn – Director of Electric Vehicle Sales and Danielle Prebe – Director of Truck Sales Operations.
“What is the lead time on a new truck?” Since the invention of the diesel engine over 120 years ago, this familiar question has been critical to the process of buying a new heavy-duty commercial truck. Inherent to this question is the assumption that a diesel engine would always be available; it was simply a matter of when. That is about to change. The process of buying a new truck no longer begins with the question of ‘when’, but rather the question of ‘if’ a diesel engine is available at all.
The driving force behind these changes is emissions regulations. No longer do emissions regulations seek to clean diesel exhaust; new regulations now seek to remove it altogether. Zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) will play an ever-increasing role in the heavy-duty commercial truck industry moving forward.
In 2020, California adopted the Advanced Clean Truck Rule (ACT) which had been developed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to promote the development and use of advanced clean trucks to help achieve the state’s emission reduction plans. Since then, ten additional states have chosen to join California and adopted this rule as their own. The rule requires that Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) ensure a certain percentage of their overall vehicle sales into specific states is comprised of zero-emission vehicles.
In addition to the ACT rule, there are new rules from both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and CARB to further reduce NOx content in diesel engine emissions. Until the EPA rule sets a national standard in 2027, the CARB rules will affect customers differently based on the states in which they register and operate their vehicles.
The way you buy heavy-duty commercial vehicles is going to become a dynamic process with new technologies, considerations, and implications for your operations. We know this can seem daunting. The Hunter Truck team is here to help.
Who will be affected by the ACT regulation?
“In 2025, vehicles registered in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington will join California in being subject to the ACT rule. Diesel engine availability in these states will be limited by the rate of ZEV adoption.” Said Paul Fehn, Director of Electric Vehicle Sales at Hunter Truck. “It is important for customers to understand that the rule is driven by the state in which the vehicle is registered and has nothing to do with where the vehicle is purchased.”
“This rule mandates a certain simple percentage of OEM sales be ZEV. There are no exemptions for special application or vehicle type. Every vehicle registered in an ACT state will eventually be affected,” said Fehn.
What is the impact of the new diesel emissions standards?
“The immediate impact of the new diesel emissions standards is the availability of diesel engines to support the customer’s current purchasing structure. Customers may want to evaluate how many diesel-powered trucks they will need for the next one to three years and plan to make those purchases prior to the end of 2024,” said Danielle Prebe, Director of Truck Sales Operations at Hunter Truck.
What can I do now, in 2024?
“Educate yourself and your team on upcoming ACT regulations. The information can be overwhelming and confusing. Our team is here to help our customers get to the right information and weed through fact versus fiction,” said Prebe.
“From a ZEV perspective, companies should begin to draw their roadmaps for transitioning. Switching to ZEV is a challenging process and will be unique for each individual business. At the very least, every organization should dedicate personnel to learning about this new process now. If your operations permit, deploy a ZEV pilot to understand all the implications of operating these vehicles on a controlled scale,” Said Fehn.
The diesel engine was barely 40 years old when Homer Hunter opened his first service facility. In the 80 years since, Hunter Truck has worked faithfully though countless technological changes and advancements to earn, and maintain, our position as a trusted supplier partner to our customers. The years ahead may prove to hold the most challenging changes the industry has ever faced, but as we progress into that future Hunter Truck is committed to remaining the faithful partner on which our customers can rely.
Reach out to the Hunter Truck sales team near you for more information on how we can help you prepare for 2025 and beyond.
Find our locations here: https://huntertruck.com/locations/
