Congress will get to review EPA and NHTSA regs
The Trump Administration is actively pursuing a rollback of what it terms “unnecessary and costly” regulations that affect the trucking industry as well as other businesses. The White House, joined by a newly created National Energy Dominance Council, has directed the new Environmental Protection Administrator, Lee Zeldin, to ask for a Congressional review of several EPA regulations as well as waivers that currently allow California to implement its own truck pollution rules.
In addition to EPA and California truck regulations that technology cannot yet meet, Congress will also be asked to determine whether the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) new car and truck pollution standards should also be rolled back. Not only will these rules demand a leap in technology that will affect the price of new trucks but will also trickle down to raise used truck prices. Keep in mind that the Biden Administration permitted EPA and NHTSA to enact rules and waivers affecting trucking – the most critical link in the supply chain - without any review by Congress.
"This is not the United States of California” said American Trucking Associations’ President and CEO Chris Spear. “California should never be given the keys to set national policy and regulate America’s supply chain," he said.
“Congress now has one more avenue available to reclaim the keys from Sacramento and restore common sense to our nation’s environmental policies“ Spear said.
ICSA is closely monitoring the Congressional review process – not only because a significant number of its members operate in California, but also because an additional 10 states have said they will follow California’s lead in adopting the California regulations. These states include Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
Watch our March Regulatory Roundup for more details on the status of review by Congress.
For truckers, testing for marijuana continues. Just as with testing for cocaine, amphetamines, PCP, and opioids, testing for marijuana will continue to be conducted on a pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, and return-to-duty basis.
As temperatures rise, so do the risks associated with tires, brakes, and overall vehicle condition. Summer heat doesn’t just stress drivers, it amplifies mechanical weaknesses, making maintenance and inspections more important than ever.
The 2026 road construction season is going to be one of the largest in U.S. history and anyone using the roads should be prepared for what’s coming.