Trucking Industry Cheers Congress’ Abolishment of California’s EV Mandates

Source: ATA

Washington, May 27, 2025 — The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is calling today’s Senate votes overturning California’s electric vehicle mandates a “monumental victory” for the trucking industry, common sense, and consumers nationwide.

“California is the breeding ground of all bad public policy, and it’s long past time that our nation’s leadership in Washington stop abdicating its responsibility to unelected, cubicle-dwelling bureaucrats in Sacramento who have no understanding of the real world,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Today’s Senate votes send a clear message: this is not the United States of California, and it never will be.”

The Senate passed two resolutions to repeal damaging California regulations and prevent the state from setting de facto national vehicle standards. The House had previously passed the resolutions, and they now move to the President’s desk.

Sen. Deb Fischer’s (R-Nebraska) resolution revokes an EPA waiver allowing California to enforce its Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule, which mandated increasing sales of zero-emission trucks from 2024 to 2035.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-Oklahoma) resolution revokes another EPA waiver that permitted California to enforce its Low NOx Omnibus rule, imposing tough emissions standards on new trucks.

ATA argued these mandates were disconnected from operational reality and unaffordable to fully implement—evidenced by several states delaying or scaling them back.

“Trucking is an industry of innovators. We don’t need government mandates to guide us—we’ve been reducing our environmental impact for 40 years while keeping the economy moving,” said Spear.

The congressional resolutions aim to restore the EPA’s sole authority over national emissions standards and stop future California attempts to set their own rules.