The announcement deepens the regulatory whiplash facing the industry and allows wealthy truck manufacturers to continue binding the US trucking industry to increasingly outdated trucking technology that is more expensive to run and maintain, experts added.
While industry groups and some truck manufacturers have expressed concerns that the proposal would deepen regulatory uncertainty, Daimler Truck – America’s largest truck maker controlling around 40% of the U.S. truck sales in N.America – pushed to repeal the Phase 3 truck standards. Daimler appeared to support the EPA’s basis for revisiting the Endangerment Finding, publicly commending the proposal and backing the rollback in testimony.
The rollback follows a series of aggressive moves from Daimler Truck, which is a plaintiff in a landmark lawsuit against California over the Clean Truck Partnership (CTP), challenging state efforts to advance zero-emissions trucks. In Oregon, Daimler halted truck sales– resulting in a rollback of clean air rules.
As the U.S. pulls back from electric trucks, global competitors are charging ahead. In China, electric trucks made up 22% of new heavy duty sales last year, and in Europe electric truck sales jumped 57% Q1-Q3 2025, according to industry figures. Meanwhile, Daimler Truck is grappling with a 26% drop in North American sales last year and an announcement by Mercedes Benz that it plans to sell part of its 35% stake in Daimler Truck.
There is little clarity around how U.S. trucking giants like Daimler plan to stay competitive in a rapidly expanding market. While electric truck prices in Europe have fallen by 32% since 2020, research from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) shows the median price of class 8 battery-electric tractor trucks in the United States has increased 27% over the same period.
Instead of responding by accelerating innovation and creating business certainty, clean freight experts say Daimler is choosing to side with regulatory repeal, undermining market stability and pulling the U.S. further behind the global race for clean transport.
“To get lots of affordable electric trucks, you need to produce lots of affordable electric trucks — and it sure helps when the government is setting up programs to help you do it. Here, the truck companies attacked state and regulatory support for the truck market and then turn around and complain about how hard it is to change. Ordinary drivers need good trucks, not crocodile tears.” said Craig Segall, former Deputy Executive Officer and Assistant Chief Counsel of the California Air Resources Board
“This administration will stop at nothing to sacrifice the well-being of Americans and the stability of the US trucking industry in order to appease the fossil fuel industry and corporate interests, including the short-sighted truck manufacturers that are standing beside them. For decades, manufacturers have lobbied against regulatory standards, which is delaying the switch to more efficient electric trucks that are cheaper to run and has cemented the transportation sector as the largest source of carbon pollution in the U.S. ,” said Katherine Garcia, Clean Transportation for All Campaign Director, Sierra Club.
“The Trump Administration brags about a lower sticker price, but they’re ignoring the anchor they’ve tied to your bumper. The money you ‘save’ at the dealership today will be bled out of your pocket every single time you fuel up for the next ten years,” said Guillermo Ortiz, Senior Clean Vehicles Advocate, NRDC
