Mike Tunnell
Several months ago, ICSA alerted its members to new California truck pollution rules in effect January 1, 2023. Members may have thought: “Why should I care? I’m not based there!” Doesn’t matter, says the California Air Resources Board (CARB) – the rules apply to you anyway!
California has already enacted its Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) rules prohibiting the sale of diesel trucks in the state by 2035. That date sounds like something we shouldn’t be worried about now; however, any carrier operating drayage trucks (those serving CA ports and intermodal yards) must purchase only zero-emission vehicles beginning next year – 2024! All older drayage trucks must be registered with CARB by December 31, 2023, and then would be allowed to serve out their useful life.
Leading up to the regulatory deadlines, CARB has begun testing trucks entering or operating in the state for pollution, regardless of where they are based.
Register now for the Member Webinar July 20th at 11am PDT hosted by ICSA Executive Director Karen Rasmussen and featuring special guest speaker Mike Tunnell, a veteran of the California CARB wars and Senior Director, Energy & Environmental Affairs for American Trucking Associations. Read more about Mr. Tunnell below.
Mike Tunnell is the Senior Director of Energy & Environmental Affairs for the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the largest national trade association representing the trucking industry. During Mr. Tunnell’s 25+ years with ATA, he has helped develop trucking’s first sustainability plan as well as policy positions on issues ranging from truck fuel economy to emissions to alternative fuels. Mr. Tunnell works closely with trucking companies, state trucking associations and industry stakeholders like ICSA to provide technical and policy analyses on environmental and energy-related legislation and regulations. He actively monitors the policies being developed in California and their potential to spread to other states. He also works with legislators, government agencies and the trucking industry and its suppliers to understand how new policies and technologies will impact industry operators and suppliers.
Every year, TAT (formerly called Truckers Against Trafficking) honors a member of the trucking, bus or energy industry, whose direct actions help save or improve the lives of those exploited or prevent human trafficking from taking place, with the Harriet Tubman Award
Bob Costello has indicated that the freight market has improved – but very slowly – since January. It must be said that ATA’s indices are dominated by contract freight as opposed to spot rates.
Now, however, with Republican control of both houses of Congress and the White House (and, some say, the Supreme Court) I am optimistic that trucking will get a fairer shake than it has during Biden’s term in office.