Trucking news and briefs for Friday, June 13, 2025:
California fires back at Trump, doubles down on emissions regs
California officials didn’t waste any time to make its stance on continuing emissions reductions after President Donald Trump signed a trio of resolutions that ended California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) electric vehicle sales mandates and strict diesel standards. The ink from Trump’s signature had hardly dried when the state doubled down on its commitment to cleaner cars and trucks.
Gov. Gavin Newsom Thursday afternoon signed an executive order further advancing California’s clean vehicle transition and kickstarting development of next-generation policy to spur innovation, updating state vehicle purchasing requirements, and directing the state to develop new actions to accelerate affordable clean vehicle adoption.
While President Trump revoked the waivers that enacted CARB's Heavy-Duty Omnibus Low-NOx and Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulations Thursday, the state retains its right to develop and implement similar legislation as long as it’s not substantially the same.
ACT, which has been adopted by 11 states to date, required medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturers to sell increasing percentages of zero-emission vehicles from 2024-'35. The Low-NOx rule, which has been adopted by 10 states, imposes stringent emissions standards on new diesel truck sales. Trump also signed a resolution to block the state’s Advanced Clean Cars II rule, which would have required 100% zero-emission passenger vehicle sales by 2035.
[Related: Trump signs resolutions to ‘kill’ California’s emissions waivers]
In his order, Newsom directed CARB to “develop and propose an Advanced Clean Cars III regulation … that reduces greenhouse gas, criteria air pollutant, and toxic emissions from passenger cars and light-duty trucks, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, to advance progress towards the deployment of clean air vehicles and technologies in the State, as an additional measure to build on existing regulations or as an alternative measure for deployment if the federal disapprovals of the Advanced Clean Cars II, Advanced Clean Trucks, and Heavy-Duty Omnibus regulations are not invalidated in court.”
CARB was also directed to keep a publicly-available list of manufacturers who continue to certify and follow the requirements of the Advanced Clean Cars II, Omnibus Low-NOx and Advanced Clean Trucks rules, or that follow requirements agreed to as part of any agreements between the manufacturer and CARB. CARB is also required to keep a list of fleets “that take early action in alignment with the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation as currently codified, regardless of the status of those regulations under federal law.”
Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) was the regulation that put zero-emission truck purchasing requirements on fleets, but after Trump’s election, CARB itself chose not to pursue a waiver to allow ACF to take effect and plans to officially repeal the regulation.
Newsom issued the following requirements using the specified lists above:
- The California Department of General Services would be required to update its vehicle manufacturer purchasing restriction list to align with these lists and assess any additional opportunities to prioritize these manufacturers in government vehicle procurement decisions.
- CARB and other state agencies implementing incentive programs that support the purchase of zero-emission vehicles shall prioritize funding for the listed manufacturers and fleets
- CARB, in developing regulatory strategies or other measures under terms of the EO, is required to explore opportunities for special considerations and flexibilities for listed manufacturers and fleets
Finally, Newsom also directed CARB to continue to work with truck manufacturers who agreed to the Clean Truck Partnership “and report to my office every six months on manufacturer progress towards those commitments.”
[Related: Will CARB's emissions deal with truck makers survive Congress' waiver revocation?]
Overhaul warns of potential cargo theft activity amid planned weekend protests
The Overhaul cargo theft recording and supply chain protection firm has issued an alert ahead of this weekend’s “No Kings” and anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) planned protests around the United States.
With elevated protest activity across the country, particularly on Saturday, Overhaul advised drivers moving freight avoid areas with significant protest activity. The company said protests and demonstrations in the U.S. are typically centered around downtown areas in capital and metropolitan cities, with the heaviest activity near state and federal government buildings, including courthouses.
The firm added that “every effort should be made to eliminate stationary and unattended shipments in affected cities. … Drivers should also maintain communication with dispatch and/or their remote monitoring center when traveling through or stopping in a high-risk area. An immediate escalation with a path to effective law enforcement engagement is critical to driver safety and recovering stolen cargo.”
[Related: Cargo theft recovered: Thief had no-name Cali CDL]
CAT Scale app updated to allow spread-axle weighs
CAT Scale has released updates for both the iOS and Android versions of its Weigh My Truck app that now allow drivers to perform spread-axle weighments. For the first time, drivers needing spread-axle weights can get a certified gross weight along with individual axle weights -- all guaranteed by CAT Scale.
To use the new feature, drivers will need to enable the option in their Weigh My Truck account profile in the vehicle information section. Once the split weigh feature is enabled, drivers will be able to perform certified spread-axle weighing through the app.
How it works: Drivers will pull onto the scale in the normal position, open the app and start the weighing process. A prompt will appear for drivers to choose “Standard Weigh” or “Split Axle Weigh.” When the driver selects “Split Axle Weigh,” they will be prompted to enter the required information and accept the fee. The driver will then be prompted to slowly exit the scale while the trailer axle weights are captured in motion. At this point, the weigh will be complete, payment authorized, and the weights will show on screen for the driver with a locked PDF copy scale ticket immediately emailed to them.
The Weigh My Truck app allows drivers to weigh, pay and see their weights on their device without leaving the cab, saving significant time. Fleets have the option to set up a profile to get back-end data, manage driver access and more.
