Opponents of California's costly Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule claimed another victory as four major truck manufacturers agreed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to abandon the Clean Truck Partnership (CTP), reports New York's FreightWaves.
International Motors, Daimler Truck, PACCAR, and Volvo North America pledged not to comply with the CTP, a pact designed to accelerate zero-emission truck adoption in California and aligned states. In return, the FTC dropped its antitrust investigation into the agreement.
The FTC said the CTP raised competition concerns by binding manufacturers to California's emissions rules, even after federal action revoked the state's regulatory waivers. The manufacturers promised to avoid similar deals in the future.
This marks the third major setback in a week for California's ACT rule: a lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board, a multi-state settlement led by Nebraska, and now the FTC deal - reinforcing momentum for those challenging California's clean truck mandates.
With the legal foundation of the ACT and NOx rules weakened by Congressional action, the Clean Truck Partnership has unraveled. California is now contesting the waiver revocation in court, as opposition forces continue to resist the imposition of costly mandates.