Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025:
CARB exploring used-truck vouchers to meet climate goals
The California Air Resources Board has formally requested information for the development of a possible Used Truck Voucher Pilot program, which could serve as a future method to increase the purchase rate of cleaner vehicles and reduce emissions in the state.
In announcing the information request, CARB referenced its 2022 State Strategy for the State Implementation Plan (SIP), noting incentives will continue to be critical in achieving near- and long-term air quality goals in California. The SIP calls for additional incentives for zero-emission trucks, and CARB said “the primary goal for the Used Truck Voucher Pilot Concept would be to accelerate the development of an affordable secondary vehicle market that would provide commercial small fleets with more flexibility.”
[Related: Known unknown: How the used market will develop for Class 8 and other electric trucks]
CARB added that state lawmakers established the Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicle Fleet Purchasing Assistance Program to make financial and non-financial tools and support available to the operators of medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets to enable a switch to ZEVs. Additionally, CARB’s suite of clean air regulations requires a competitive, well-functioning market to ensure success, the organization noted. A used truck voucher pilot concept would support those goals.
“Many small fleet owners traditionally purchase used vehicles rather than new vehicles," CARB’s RFI document notes. “Currently, the Clean Truck and Bus Incentive Project (HVIP) only funds new vehicle purchases, and ISEF funds innovative solutions (all-inclusive leases, peer-to-peer truck sharing, truck-as-a-service agreements, etc.). Not funding used vehicle purchases may limit participation from small fleets.”
The organization added that as the zero-emission market grows, their supply “into the secondary market will expand over the next several years, creating an opportunity for small fleets to adopt ZEVs. Financial assistance targeting second life vehicles would provide critical encouragement and support for fleet owners who may be considering making the switch to a zero-emission vehicle.”
CARB is accepting information from the trucking industry through Feb. 28, and interested parties can participate on the CARB website.
[Related: Trump's EPA sends CARB waivers to Congress for review]
Commercial vehicle enforcement effort ongoing in Arizona this week
The Arizona Commercial Vehicle Safety Partnership (ACVSP) is conducting its annual “Operation Southern Shield” this week, Feb. 24-28, on I-10 from Phoenix to the New Mexico state line and on I-19 from Tucson to the international border.
The ACVSP includes Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Bureau troopers and Arizona Department of Transportation Enforcement and Compliance Division officers.
During this year’s operation, more than 80 commercial vehicle enforcement inspectors from the ACVSP, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, the Marana Police Department, and the Goodyear Police Department are committed to reducing the risk of commercial vehicle-involved collisions.
Enforcement efforts will be conducted along I-10 and I-19 with special emphasis placed on motor carrier safety regulations, including driver qualification, hours of service, and overall safe operations.
Inspectors and enforcement officers will target hazardous moving violations, distracted driving and seat belt violations while conducting commercial vehicle inspections to ensure truck drivers and vehicles comply with commercial vehicle regulations and state laws.
[Related: FMCSA, police investigate double broker's odd inspections history]
Prime driver recognized for heroic actions
Phoenix, Arizona-based Jason Holmes, a truck driver for Prime Inc., has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association for stopping to help during a deadly crash in Ohio.
Jason Holmes
State troopers say a black Hyundai Tucson was heading north on I-71. The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, veered across the median, overturned, struck the median cable barrier, and then hit a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck traveling in the southbound lanes head on.
Holmes was in the middle lane when he saw the Hyundai come to rest in the middle of the southbound lanes, while the Chevrolet slid off the left side of the highway after impact.
“It was horrible -- extremely horrible,” Holmes said. “With the condition of the car that rolled, I knew it was gonna be bad.”
Holmes pulled over to the shoulder to assist. He ran to a 12-year-old girl, who had been ejected from the Hyundai.
“She was fine,” he said. “She just had scrapes and some bruising.”
He stayed with the girl until a nurse happened upon the scene. Holmes went to the first vehicle and saw that the driver was deceased. His fiancé (the woman whose daughter had been ejected) sustained extensive injuries.
“She was in bad shape,” Holmes said.
At the crashed pickup truck, he and a few U.S. Army personnel who happened upon the accident started prying the driver’s side of the truck door open. The driver had suffered major injuries to his arm and leg.
“He had two bones sticking out of his right leg,” he said. “On his left arm, the wrist was just hanging.”
Holmes helped the soldiers get the driver out of the vehicle and lay him on the ground to await EMS. Holmes moved to the passenger side of the truck and pried that door open. Though the young man in the passenger seat did not sustain substantial injuries, his legs were trapped under the dashboard. He kept the young man calm and waited with him until EMS and Fire and Rescue arrived.
Trucking industry vet joins Truck Parking Club
Brent Hutto, the longtime Chief Relationship Officer at the Truckstop load board, has joined Truck Parking Club in the same role.
In his role at Truck Parking Club, Hutto will focus on the truck parking crisis, noted Truck Parking Club Co-Founder and CEO Evan Shelley. Hutto will also remain a senior advisor to Truckstop.
"I am excited to join Truck Parking Club, which is moving quickly to help solve one of the most pressing challenges in trucking today,” Hutto said. “The truck parking crisis affects nearly every driver on the road, and Truck Parking Club is well-positioned to make a real difference.”
Shelley said Hutto’s “deep industry relationships and decades of experience building solutions for truckers will be invaluable as we work to solve the parking crisis across America.” He added that the addition of Hutto “is going to help us move even faster toward our goal of making sure every trucker has access to safe, reliable parking when and where they need it.”
[Related: Truck Parking Club turns free spaces paid: Is this the future of parking?]
