Assembly committee advances bill to delay New Jersey's Advanced Clean Trucks rule amid industry-infrastructure dispute

TRENTON — The Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee on Thursday released Assembly Bill 4967, a measure to delay New Jersey's implementation of the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulation to Jan. 1, 2027, after roughly three hours of testimony that sharply split industry representatives and environmental advocates.

Chairman Charmaine Calabrese, sponsor of A4967, told the panel he supports the ACT rule's environmental goals but proposed the two-year delay to address practical implementation challenges. "Truck dealers have faced difficulties securing adequate inventory and meeting customer needs," he said in opening remarks, adding that end users face higher purchase prices and limited charging networks.

Supporters of the delay — led by truck dealers, dealer associations and fuel and small-business groups — described immediate operational barriers if ACT takes effect Jan. 1, 2025. Helder Rebello, director of fleet maintenance and safety at Baybreak Express and president of the New Jersey Motor Truck Association, said a Class 8 electric tractor can cost roughly $550,000 versus about $150,000 to $180,000 for a comparable diesel. "The grid right now in Newark, New Jersey cannot handle it," Rebello said, urging more time for chargers and transformer upgrades.

Dealers and parts-and-service providers warned of restricted vehicle allocations tied to manufacturer credit schemes and of specialty vocational vehicles (towing, garbage, plows) for which electric drivetrains lack mature solutions. "If our businesses do fail, it will create a vacuum for parts and service," Cambria Truck Centers owner Joe Cambria said, adding that some manufacturers are refusing to ship diesel units unless dealers meet EV-credit formulas.

Manufacturers and national EV producers that testified opposed the delay. Sanjay Hickey, senior policy advisor at Rivian, said A4967 would create regulatory uncertainty and complicate compliance strategies that rely on gradual, industrywide averaging, banking and trading of credits. Zach Kahn of Tesla described Tesla's work on long-range Class 8 trucks and megawatt charging and warned a pause could actually make later compliance harder by eliminating the scheduled phase-in.

Environmental groups, public-health experts and environmental-justice advocates urged the committee to reject the delay, saying the ACT rule is a critical lever to cut diesel pollution that disproportionately harms frontline communities. "Delaying ACT would be a decisive blow to New Jersey's ability to gain clean trucks that we desperately need on the road," said Carla Sosa of the Environmental Defense Fund. Nikki Sheets of the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance said communities living near ports and highways already suffer high asthma and cancer risks and cannot "wait for two years."

Technical witnesses described multiple funding streams and planning efforts intended to support charging infrastructure. Testifiers cited federal and state awards, including a $100 million bus depot grant, an $84 million EPA truck-grant pool that New Jersey is part of, and NEVI / formula funds for corridor chargers; Charge EVC and state utility filings were identified as tools to accelerate installation. Pam Frank of Charge EVC said she expects filings from utilities and federal grants to help build medium- and heavy-duty charging capacity.

Committee members repeatedly probed the question of grid capacity versus public fast-charging availability. Witnesses distinguished depot charging (overnight, at fleet yards) — which can be staged sooner in some places — from public, megawatt fast charging that requires substantial grid upgrades and longer utility lead times. Several testifiers urged the Murphy administration and utilities to enforce franchise and consumer-protection laws where manufacturer allocation practices appear to disadvantage dealers.

After extended testimony, the committee voted to release A4967 out of committee for further consideration. The roll call on the motion to release recorded affirmative votes from the named committee membership in the transcript.

Votes at a glance: The committee also amended or released several other bills at the Dec. 12 hearing, including passage out of committee of AB 928 (state-capitol-area roadway maintenance), AB 4765 (driver education responsibilities when passing pedestrians and cyclists), AB 4813 (approaching stationary vehicles: lane change or slow requirement, amendment adopted), and AB 4968 (NJ Infrastructure Bank eligible projects list for FY2025). Those motions were recorded as passed by roll call during the session.

What happens next: Releasing a bill from committee moves it to subsequent legislative steps where it may be scheduled for floor consideration and additional amendments. The debate in committee reflected the central tension in New Jersey's transition policy: whether to proceed on ACT's existing timetable to secure public-health gains and market certainty, or to pause implementation to allow fleets, dealers and utilities more time to adapt.

Reporting note: The article uses direct quotations and numeric cost, public-health and credit figures as presented to the committee by witnesses and organizations. Where figures were offered as testimony, they are reported as claims attributed to the speaker or organization that made them.