Boyle warns听against unrealistic timelines and state regulatory patchworks
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Washington 鈥 Today, Andrew Boyle, co-president of Massachusetts-based Boyle Transportation and first vice chairman of the 黑料不打烊, told Congress the trucking industry was committed to further reducing emissions but that regulations must be technically achievable, national in scope, and set on a realistic timeline.
Testifying before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee鈥檚 Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee, Boyle touted the industry鈥檚 incredible strides in reducing emissions, citing that today鈥檚 clean diesel trucks produce 99% lower emissions than those from the 1980s. Attributing those gains to innovation and achievable national standards, Boyle warned against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency鈥檚 creation of a state regulatory patchwork in granting a waiver for California鈥檚 鈥楢dvanced Clean Trucks鈥 rule, which is heavily predicated on the adoption of electric trucks.听
鈥淲hile we share the passion for EVs in cars and light duty vehicles, projecting an automotive construct onto trucking industry dynamics is a massive mistake,鈥 Boyle said. 鈥淟et me be clear: if battery electric trucks had adequate range, there was adequate charging infrastructure, and utilities brought online necessary electricity, we truckers would be delighted. But let me explain our reality.鈥
Today鈥檚 clean diesel trucks can spend 15 minutes fueling anywhere in the country and then travel about 1,200 miles before fueling again. In contrast, today鈥檚 battery electric trucks have a range of about 150-330 miles and then take up to ten hours to charge.听
鈥淎nd this is assuming there are chargers where you need them,鈥 Boyle said. 鈥淲e would need far more trucks to haul the same amount of freight, and each of those trucks would cost 2-3x a comparable diesel truck. Converting the US fleet of Class 8 trucks to Battery Electric would require a $1 trillion investment, which ultimately would flow to consumers.鈥

鈥淲e recognize that most people don鈥檛 understand how the trucking industry works behind the scenes to supply the American public,鈥 Boyle said. 鈥淏ut we can鈥檛 allow unrealistic timelines, a state patchwork, and technically unachievable regulations to set trucking up for failure.听
鈥淩emember, we deliver food, medicine, and baby formula. Failure is not inconvenient; it鈥檚 catastrophic,鈥 he said.
In his written testimony, Boyle identified several key areas where Congress can realize immediate and significant environmental gains, including:
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- Investing Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to reduce traffic bottlenecks on the National Highway System, which wastes 6.87 billion gallons of fuel and pumps 67.3 million metric tons of CO2 into our environment annually; and
听 - Repealing the Federal Excise Tax, which adds 12% to the cost of a new, clean truck.
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To read Boyle鈥檚 full written testimony, click here.听