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Trucking industry warns Advanced Clean Truck rule is premature without depot charging, spare parts and viable electric models
Summary
Trucking representatives, dealers and fleet operators told Assembly members the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) sales mandate is forcing manufacturers and dealers into compliance problems because medium/heavy battery electric trucks lack range, cost far more than diesel and there are effectively no public on‑highway charging depots for freight.
Trucking industry representatives and heavy‑vehicle dealers told the joint Assembly hearing that the state’s timeline tied to the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) regulation is out of step with real‑world fleet operations.
Kendra Hems, president of the Trucking Association of New York, said the absence of on‑highway truck chargers and the limited range, long charge times and high purchase prices for battery electric heavy trucks make the ACT implementation premature. “For a trucking company, the lack of charging infrastructure is a major disincentive to purchasing 0 emission trucks,” Hems said. She cited a study point used by witnesses: a typical diesel long‑haul truck can refuel in about 20 minutes and drive 1,800–2,000 miles; a battery‑electric heavy truck has around a 200‑mile range and requires four to five hours to charge depending on conditions.
Dealers and manufacturer representatives said there are effectively no publicly accessible on‑highway charging depots built to serve medium and heavy‑duty trucks in New York; witnesses reported three public truck‑capable sites in the entire state, two on Long Island and one outside Rochester, and said those locations are out of range for many New York‑based fleets. Dealers also described how the CARB‑style ACT system creates “deficits” and “credits” for manufacturers; dealers said uncertain enforcement and manufacturers’ allocation of limited electric units have left dealers unable to order diesel trucks that must be registered in New York and exposed dealers to compliance liabilities.
Several witnesses recommended a near‑term pause or delay in ACT implementation for New York, so regulators and the industry can complete medium/heavy‑duty charging needs studies, allow utilities and the New York ISO to plan capacity and give manufacturers time to scale production of heavier‑duty electric vehicles or alternative zero‑carbon fuels. The Trucking Association and multiple dealers urged incentives for depot chargers, technology trials for hydrogen fuel cell trucks and short‑term support for low‑carbon fuels such as renewable diesel as a transitional measure.
Ending: Trucking groups said New York should align mandates with a feasibility roadmap that includes detailed charging‑needs studies, funding programs for depot build‑outs and a clearer timeline tied to both vehicle availability and grid upgrades so the supply chain and fleet operators can adjust without sudden market disruption.
