Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024:
Washington state truckers to governor: ‘Washington is not California’
The Washington State Trucking Associations (WTA) this month penned a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee and the state’s legislature asking them to reconsider aligning with California’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulation, which sets sales requirements for so-called "zero emissions" (ZEV) trucks within the state, requiring an escalating percentage of trucks sold there to be ZEVs.
In a detailed letter to Inslee, WTA President and CEO Sheri Call outlined numerous economic, operational, infrastructure and competitiveness concerns over the policy.
“We feel these issues will place constraints on the industry and reduce supply chain resiliency in Washington state -- one of the most trade-driven states in the nation,” Call wrote. “We don’t have to look back too far to understand the impact of shortages of goods and medical supplies during the pandemic as a result of trucking industry labor and equipment shortages. Imagine the negative impact to affordability in our state and to any environmental gains if trucks are dispatched to Washington from further away. This is a reality we are faced with under the ACT policy.”
[Related: Electric trucks don't stand a chance, even in drayage, without more power infrastructure]
Beginning next year, 7% of Class 7-8 trucks sold in Washington must be ZEVs, increasing annually up to 40% by 2032 and beyond. “However, given that the buying cycle for trucks can be as long as two years, owners are placing orders for model year 2025 and beyond today,” the letter said, meaning fleets “are already experiencing the consequences of ACT mandates right now, prompting WTA members to evaluate their options given cost and infrastructure constraints.”
Call added that “California officials wrote, adopted, and implemented the ACT program for the state of California. But Washington is not California.”
The letter goes on to outline concerns about costs, payload, range, refueling, and infrastructure.
For now, Washington fleet and truck owners will likely keep older, less efficient trucks longer to avoid the higher costs and uncertainty from purchasing ZEV medium- and heavy-duty trucks, Call noted. Delaying these purchases will also trickle down into the secondary truck market, affecting the drayage fleet the most. Others will go out of business or pick up operations and move into neighboring states that have not adopted California’s ACT mandates.
“However fleet and truck owners respond, these direct and indirect compliance costs will certainly shift to consumers across the entire supply chain,” Call said. “There is no such thing as a free lunch, and ACT will drive up costs on every consumer good or service that relies on [medium- and heavy-duty] commercial trucks.”
[Related: Trucking to EPA: Send CARB 'back to drawing board' for its ZEV truck-purchase mandates]
Groendyke expanding operations with acquisition
Groendyke Transport announced this week a definitive agreement to acquire all the tank truck assets of Linden Bulk Transportation (LBT) from Depot Connect International's Boasso Global. LBT was purchased by Boasso last year. The companies anticipate a closing date of Sept. 23.
The acquisition will expand Groendyke’s footprint to Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and solidify its strong presence in the Gulf, the company said.
“We are excited to bring the folks at Linden Bulk into the Groendyke family,” said Groendyke CEO Greg Hodgen. “We can’t wait to show them a big welcome and add them to our very strong team.”
Founded in 1982, LBT has seven locations in six states. Both companies are tank truck carriers that specialize in hauling petroleum products, chemicals, and other bulk hazardous materials.
Once the transaction closes, Groendyke will have terminals in 18 states, including its first presence in the Northeast since 2015.
Love’s opens new SoCal truck stop
Love’s Travel Stops this week opened its 16th store in the state of California.
The new location in Bakersfield, off of California Highway 99, boasts 111 truck parking spaces, an Arby’s restaurant, a Speedco opening in the coming weeks and more.
