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Trucking witnesses tell committee diesel-related rules and proposed EV mandates threaten rural carriers
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Summary
Trucking owner Eldon Johnson and other witnesses told the House Small Business Committee that EPA diesel-related mandates, electronic logging requirements and proposed electric vehicle mandates are not feasible in many rural areas and could force small carriers out of business, while repair costs and downtime already burden fleets.
Eldon Johnson, owner-operator of Eldon Johnson Transportation in Rush City, Minnesota, told the committee that several federal regulatory proposals and equipment mandates impose disproportionate burdens on small trucking firms.
Johnson cited diesel control systems and repair costs as a current pain point: “One of them is the EPA mandate for the diesel, diesel motors, called DEF fluid … sometimes, putting our trucks in the shop for weeks at a time and some of the repair bills up to, like, 17 to $20,000 plus the time that our trucks are not moving.” He warned that proposed electric-vehicle mandates and other one‑size‑fits‑all federal rules for heavy-duty vehicles are not workable in rural America: “They're not feasible. In a word, no. Not feasible. And if I was to comply with that, I would be completely out of business.”
Other testimony and exchanges focused on electronic logging device (ELD) rules, Department of Labor independent-contractor definitions, and broader federal mandates that witnesses said ignore rural infrastructure limits and operational realities.
Why it matters: Witnesses said repair bills and downtime for required emission-control systems already reduce capacity and margins for small carriers. Members from transportation-heavy districts echoed concerns, arguing that rural routes lack charging infrastructure and that charging times and vehicle range pose logistical barriers for long rural hauls.
Committee action: Members asked trucking witnesses for specific rules to prioritize for relief and discussed potential legislative fixes and oversight. No agency representatives appeared to offer technical responses to the fleet-operators’ infrastructure and repair-cost claims.
Ending: The committee indicated it will gather written submissions from carriers on specific rules and look for targeted solutions that account for rural infrastructure limitations while balancing environmental and safety goals.
