What is the Clean Truck Partnership (CTP)?

It’s an agreement signed by truck manufacturers, such as Volvo and Daimler, in 2023 to remain neutral on the clean trucks rules and to abide by them if they are challenged. The agreement was written precisely because of the challenges to other rules during the first Trump administration – California Air Resources Board (CARB) foresaw that the rules on electric trucks could be challenged and sought a binding agreement to protect them.

Why are truck manufacturers challenging the partnership now?

After Congress voted to kill the clean trucks rules and Trump signed it into law, truck manufacturers outside of California can challenge rules to increase sales of electric trucks to increase their sales of electric trucks and restrict the worst polluting vehicles – but in California they are. Now they want to kill California’s ability to require more electric trucks – but the partnership agreement stops them challenging the rules. Hence the attack.

But if the clean trucks rules are in question, then why not the partnership?

The CTP is a separate contract that exists whether or the ability of California to set clean truck rules exists or not. The agreement states “The OEMs commit to meet, in California, the relevant provisions of the CARB regulations… irrespective of the outcome of any litigation challenging the waivers or authorizations for those regulations or of CARB’s overall authority to implement those regulations.”

What are the truck manufacturers saying about the agreement?

The Clean Freight Association (a lobby group involving the trucking industry and the Transport Project – which represents the gas industry and truck makers) said if the ability of California to set clean trucks rules is rescinded, then the agreement “is nullified”.

Volvo Group said it intends to keep its policies in California only “as they are for now”. Following a challenge to the views of the Clean Freight Coalition and Volvo on the agreement, other truck makers have begun to walk back challenging it: 

  • Isuzu Commercial Trucks said:  “The dust hasn’t quite settled…We anticipate a good faith discussion with CARB and other regulated signatories to determine the agreement’s current scope and relevance.”
  • Daimler said the company was “closely monitoring the developments surrounding [the CRA resolutions] and will evaluate the implications of these resolutions as they progress.”

Why is this bad?

Truck manufacturers are removing certainty for hundreds of businesses which have adopted thousands of electric trucks by trying to challenge the binding agreement. Over 52,000 electric trucks have been deployed across the US and businesses need fair truck prices and model availability to keep their businesses going. 

Truck manufacturers have abysmal electric truck sales (less than 1% of the truck sales of the US’s biggest truck manufacturer Daimler are electric despite commitments to invest to increase their numbers). 

Apart from businesses, local communities stand to lose if truck manufacturers try to challenge an agreement on electric trucks. Diesel pollution carries toxins which cause cancer, respiratory illness and heart problems and are linked to severe health impacts and death.