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TRALA Victory on CARB TRU Rule

EPA ruling halts California's TRU rule, a major win for TRALA members.

In a victory for refrigerated haulers and TRALA members operating in California, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it will not authorize the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to require Transport Refrigeration Unit (TRU) owners to turn over at least 15 percent of their diesel-fueled truck TRU fleet to zero emission TRU's by December 31, 2023, and each year thereafter. While EPA approved the CARB TRU waiver request from federal preemption under the Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA's determination to remove these compliance milestones under the rule in effect dismantles the overriding aim of the entire rule.

 

By way of background, in 2022 CARB updated its TRU regulation requiring a certain percentage of TRUs be zero-emission by the end of 2023, with 100% of all TRUs needing to be zero emission by 2029. In December 2022, CARB requested that the EPA grant a waiver under the CAA to allow California to implement and enforce the new requirements. Following months of meetings with EPA officials, TRALA filed extensive comments requesting the Agency not approve California's waiver. To view TRALA's comments, please click here. 

 

It is possible that CARB or environmental groups could file suit in court by the March 11, 2025, filing deadline to attempt to have the milestones reinstated, but that approach would face an uphill and lengthy process, so in the short-term at a minimum, TRALA views EPA's decision as a positive one for the trucking industry.

 

To review today's Federal Register notice, click here.

 

Should you have any questions on the EPA's decision, please contact TRALA's Robby Wehagen at rwehagen@trala.org.