Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, March 19, 2025:
More legislation seeks to block California’s EPA waivers
Two bills introduced this month in the U.S. Senate seek to amend the Clean Air Act (CAA) to limit or eliminate waivers granted to California allowing the state to adopt and enforce emissions regulations that are stricter than federal regulations.
One bill, reintroduced after failing to advance in the previous Congress, was brought forth by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma). The Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act would limit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing CAA waivers for state policies seeking to ban or otherwise limit the sale of internal combustion engines.
The bill also calls for the EPA to revoke any waiver granted since Jan. 1, 2022, that does not comply with the requirements of the bill. That would include waivers for the California Air Resources Board’s Advanced Clean Trucks and Omnibus Low-NOx rules.
A press release from Mullin said the legislation would preserve consumer choice and maintain competition in the automotive markets by ensuring Americans have access to reliable and affordable vehicles.
An identical bill has also been introduced in the House by Rep. John Joyce (R-Pennsylvania).
[Related: How high with Class 8 diesel equipment prices go with EPA 2027 emissions regs?]
Another piece of legislation -- dubbed the Stop California from Advancing Regulatory Burden Act, or Stop CARB Act -- was introduced this month by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), and would repeal California’s Clean Air Act waiver exemption, repeal Section 177 of the Clean Air Act that allows other states to adopt California’s emissions standards, and nullify any active or pending waivers granted to California.
"California has abused the Clean Air Act’s waiver provision for years, essentially imposing ridiculous emission standards on the other 49 states,” Lee said. "By putting an end to this overreach, our legislation will keep costs lower for hardworking American families, increase consumer choice, and restore economic freedom.”
The two pieces of legislation are just the latest in a recent string of attempts from Congress, the EPA itself and legal challenges to overturn some or all CARB waivers.
[Related: Trucking company, WSTA among petitioners to overturn EPA waiver]
ATA: February truck tonnage shows signs of freight recovery
Trucking activity in the United States surged three percent in February, marking the largest monthly increase in several years, according to the American Trucking Associations.
ATA’s advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index showed the gain in February after observing a slight decline in January.American Trucking Associations
“After a scant 0.1% decline in January, which wasn’t bad considering the harsh winter weather and California wildfires, truck tonnage had a robust gain in February” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “This outcome fits well with our growing optimism for the truck freight market after a two-year recession.”
Costello noted that President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs caused some of the gain in February, as shippers “accelerated imports early in the year … to bring products into the U.S. before tariffs hit.”
Even with that in mind, though, “the first two months of the year were positive, all things considered, indicating that the freight recovery has indeed begun,” Costello added.
In February, the ATA advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 115.2, up from 111.9 in January. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, was up 0.6% from the same month last year, the second straight year-over-year increase, which hasn’t happened since early 2023.
The not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 104.8 in February, 4.7% below January’s reading of 110.0.
[Related: Market conditions slumped to start the year, yet used-truck sales surged in February]
Eight cocaine smuggling attempts intercepted in two days
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry Commercial Facility in San Diego, California, successfully intercepted eight separate cocaine smuggling attempts from trucks over two days, preventing more than 240 pounds of dangerous narcotics from entering the United States. These enforcement actions resulted in the apprehension of eight visa-holding cross-border drivers and the seizure of multiple commercial tractor-trailers.
All eight tractor-trailers caught attempting to smuggle the drugs were found to have a non-factory compartment in the floor of the truck's cab.
The first three seizures occurred on Tuesday, March 4:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry recently thwarted eight cocaine smuggling attempts in a two-day span, in which each of the eight trucks had packages of cocaine hidden in non-factory compartments.U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Less than an hour later at 3 p.m., a second empty tractor-trailer, driven by a 39-year-old male with a valid border crossing card, was found to have 24 packages of cocaine weighing 61.11 pounds.
Approximately ten minutes later at 3:11 p.m., officers encountered a third empty tractor-trailer driven by a 52-year-old male valid border crossing card holder with 25 packages of cocaine totaling 63.44 pounds.
The following day, Wednesday, March 5, CBP officers intercepted five additional cocaine smuggling attempts between 3 and 5 p.m.:
At approximately 3 p.m., two separate tractor-trailers, each operated by different male border crossing card holders, were referred for secondary inspection following a cursory search. The trucks contained 12 packages with a combined total of 30.99 pounds of cocaine.
At 3:10 p.m. a 52-year-old male driver applied for entry in an empty truck and was found to have six packages of cocaine weighing 15.30 pounds.
At around 3:45 p.m., CBP officers encountered a 43-year-old male B1/B2 visa holder driving an empty commercial tractor-trailer, which was found to contain seven packages with a total weight of 16.53 pounds.
The final seizure occurred at 4:30 p.m., when officers stopped a 38-year-old male B1 visa holder operating an empty truck, which was found to have six packages totaling 15.65 pounds.
“These seizures are a testament to the exceptional training, skills, and dedication of our officers in their commitment to safeguarding our borders and protecting the American public,” stated Rosa E. Hernandez, Port Director for the Area Port of Otay Mesa. “Within just two days, their vigilance and expertise resulted in eight significant cocaine seizures. I am incredibly proud of their relentless efforts to prevent dangerous narcotics from entering our communities.”
All subjects were turned over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations for further processing. The narcotics and commercial tractor-trailers were seized by CBP officers.
