Without the contribution of truckers, the United States would come to a standstill.
It’s a fact that these hardworking individuals, who endure rigorous schedules to deliver our essential items like food and clothing, form the backbone of our nation.
However, instead of backing these dedicated drivers, President Joe Biden’s administration seems to be pursuing policies that financially burden them and impose the use of electric trucks as part of an aggressive climate-change action plan.
We are not standing idle, though.
The audacity of the state of California and the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandating truckers to adhere to their ambitious climate-change measures lacks legal grounding and justifiable authority.
To challenge this, 18 state attorneys general are taking legal action against President Biden.
The trucking industry in Iowa is a primary source of employment, supporting roughly 100,000 Iowans, which equates to almost one in every 13 workers in the state.
Regrettably, Biden’s questionable trucking policy jeopardizes this entire industry.
His administration’s decisions are poised to decimate our national biofuels sector, inflate costs for businesses and truckers, and unwisely designate California as a prominent authority within the trucking industry.
In a recent March move, Biden’s EPA breached Constitutional bounds by authorizing California with a waiver to establish its unique truck emission standards. These extreme measures exceed national regulations and essentially prohibit the sale of gasoline or diesel trucks.
The truck ban in California mandates that by 2035, approximately 55 percent of delivery vans and small trucks, 75 percent of buses and larger trucks, and 40 percent of tractor-trailers and other big rigs must be fully electric.
Furthermore, by 2045, the sale of gas and diesel trucks will be prohibited entirely in California.
However, the situation becomes even more significant.
Thanks to the Biden administration’s waiver, these regulations will likely extend beyond California and impact the entire United States.
Given that California possesses a massive economy, ranking as the fifth largest in the world, its ambitious agenda to combat climate change has a far-reaching influence on the trucking industry.
It must be acknowledged that California’s truck ban will disproportionately affect rural America, leaving it at a disadvantage.
Charging infrastructure in rural areas is scarce, making it challenging to support electric trucks.
Electric trucks have a significantly shorter range than their gas or diesel counterparts, resulting in an average decrease of approximately 870 to 1,050 miles before refueling.
This weakness poses potential supply chain complications and difficulties.
Moreover, electric trucks are considerably more expensive, costing two to three times as much as traditional trucks.
Electric trucks take around 10 hours to fully charge in terms of efficiency, contrasting with the mere 15 minutes it takes to fuel gas or diesel trucks.
Furthermore, considering the previous issues faced by California’s power grid during rolling blackouts, it is evident that the infrastructure is not yet prepared to accommodate the rapid influx of electric vehicles.
These challenges present a multitude of concerns and obstacles to overcome.
