Bill Aboudi, president of AB Trucking, a Port of Oakland-based drayage operator with a fleet of 10 trucks, is facing a long list of challenges from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to reach zero-emission. CARB Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) rules requires all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold or registered in the state to be zero-emission by 2036 and all trucks to be zero-emission by 2042.
Like many operators and drivers, Aboudi supports new technologies like battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell. He wants clean air and a healthy environment but has serious issues with these particular government mandates.
Attempting to abide by those mandates could financially ruin Aboudi and other small businesses and independent owner-operators across the country, due to the high costs of converting fleets to zero tailpipe emissions. Equally troubling, an accessible for all charging infrastructure remains non-existent.
Aboudi follows technology updates and has concluded that, at present, battery electric vehicle (BEV) and hydrogen fuel cell (FCEV) technologies are nowhere near ready to be commercially viable for regional and nationwide hauling. That being said, shorter routes consisting of just a few miles daily are already possible. For example, he is extremely satisfied with his two Orange EV yard tractors.
"It's a double-edged sword," Aboudi said. "I support zero-emissions but for certain vocations. [Government regulators] are playing with our livelihood when they debate whether BEV or FCEV is better. Teslas are great but that car is not your livelihood, and while Tesla did a great job rolling out the charging infrastructure, we don't have that with trucks."
[Related: States challenge latest EPA, CARB truck emissions rules]
This is not a new debate. Aboudi, who's been in the trucking business since 1988, remains troubled by CARB's complicated and, in his opinion, unattainable mandates. Publicly objecting to them, he says, could cause him problems.
"Say something reality-based against CARB and you're done," he explained.
'All about PR'
Aboudi's frustration with state officials is understandable. "One [CARB] person is passing rules and another is trying to get them implemented. Everything is not working. It’s all about PR."
Aboudi, like others in his industry, believes the agency lacks understanding as to the details of how the trucking business operates. Concentrating on passenger cars and focusing on smaller trucks like Amazon's Rivian-built BEV delivery vehicles would make a lot more sense, he says. Class 8 semis are an entirely different matter.
"Everybody is talking about the range but nobody discusses the weight. [Class 8 semis] are still very expensive to buy even with grants. Not enough people are trained to work on them so you’re really relying on the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to back you up."
Insuring these semis is another headache despite state grants and other incentives.
"A new Nikola TRE semi is about $450,000," Aboudi said. "The voucher is about $400k so that's only $50k out of pocket, right? But then they add California sales tax (7.5%). The Federal Excise Tax (FED) is 12% for all new vehicles. By the time you add up everything you're back up to $150k. I'm not going to take a chance on this. Insurance companies don't know how to deal with this. They don't know how to cover hydrogen. Do you insure the $450k or the $150k difference you're paying? How do I insure this? What about the physical damage?"
Trucks come to the port to die because drayage is a hand-me-down industry, Aboudi adds. Port trucks, compared to regional and national haulers, do not put on many miles. "We don't need to invest a bunch of money in our trucks. A brand new truck is a waste."
Unfortunately, CARB officials are ignoring this reality.
"Everybody is doing their job description with their blinders on."
'Unholy alliance'
Aboudi is not alone in his frustration. "CARB board members are ideologues who are being deferential to the environmentalists. Nobody in trucking is saying ‘let’s pollute the air,' " says Joe Rajkovacz, director of governmental affairs and communications for the Western States Trucking Association (WSTA).
Rajkovacz, a former truck driver with 50 years of industry experience, told Clean Trucking that progress was made during the George W. Bush administration to decarbonize fleets but things are very different now.
"Environmental regulators pretend that nothing has happened in the last 20 years," he explained. "With EPA engine standards, we went to low sulfur diesel and then ultra-low sulfur diesel which changed emissions. And the latter required the particulate filter. That was the 2007 engine standard. And in 2010 you had the diesel fluid standard to reduce NOx emissions. Trucking in the last 20 years has spent a fortune to decarbonize."
CARB, says Rajkovacz, wants nothing to do with fossil fuels, including biodiesel and natural gas - and it has an ally.
"There’s an unholy alliance between the Teamster's Union and the environmental lobby," Rajkovacz continued. "What’s in it for labor? The Teamsters have run with a narrative that all (non-union) owner-operators are abused by the system, whether they realize it or not. The union has also aggressively backed environmentally geared laws."
According to Rajkovacz, the Teamsters Union brought its own people to CARB board meetings to argue their case against independent owner operators, like Aboudi, under the guise that emissions rules should be designed in such a way that encourage only large fleets with employee drivers. Doing so makes it easier for the Teamsters to organize drivers. At least two board members supported this position.
"Trucking was willing to meet CARB halfway two years ago with natural gas and biodiesel. Natural gas could provide us with a lifeline [until BEV and FCEV become more attainable]."
Further problematic CARB mandates include banning non-zero emission vehicles from port drayage. While they are not yet enforcing, they have made it clear that these rules will take immediate effect once approved by the EPA. Enacting this will render a large portion of drayage fleets unusable, with no imminent or affordable solution.
CARB's response
Clean Trucking reached out to CARB for comment regarding Aboudi's claim that speaking out against the agency's zero-emissions mandates could spark retaliation.
CARB responded with the following statement:
"All of CARB’s regulations are developed as part of a rigorous and thorough public process, which includes significant engagement from interested parties such as regulated industries and consumers. There is extensive opportunity for public comment during the regulatory process and at each board meeting. As part of the implementation of Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) there are four Truck Regulation Implementation Groups (TRIG) that meet regularly and also provide a forum for public comment. The feedback collected from fleet owners and operators is critical to the development of our regulations and we continue to engage in outreach during implementation."
Rajkovacz, meanwhile, remains understandably frustrated with CARB's policies and their lack of a practical implementation.
"I never thought I'd say this but the CARB regulators I dealt with almost 20 years ago were much more pragmatic than the regulators today. What they're doing is messing with something they don't fully understand. They think they know more about trucking than those who've spent 50 years in the business."
Obviously there are no easy solutions. Trucking and transport provide the backbone to the American economy and need viable avenues to continue uninterrupted, even as they evolve. Hopefully, CARB and other governing bodies can begin to blend their admirable drive for progress and everyone's need for clean air with the realities of the trucking industry.
