The Environmental Protection Agency rolled out new, strict emissions standards for trucks and buses on Friday (March 29). The new regulations take effect in 2026 and require car manufacturers to cut greenhouse emissions each year through 2032. The regulations get more stringent each year, with the goal of increasing the number of zero-emission trucks on the road.
The regulations apply to heavy-duty vocational vehicles, including delivery trucks, garbage trucks, utility trucks, school buses, and tractors.
The regulations do not force automakers to embrace electric trucks; instead, they allow them to use other hybrid trucks and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles to meet updated emissions standards.
The EPA estimates the new rule will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one billion metric tons and provide society with $13 billion in annual net benefits.
"An estimated 72 million Americans, often people of color or people with lower incomes, live near freight truck routes," EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters. "Reducing emissions from our heavy-duty vehicles means cleaner air and less pollution. It means safer and more vibrant communities."