On the Dash:
- The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is suing Daimler Truck, International Motors, Paccar, and Volvo Group for allegedly violating the 2023 Clean Truck Partnership agreement.
- CARB claims the manufacturers failed or refused to meet their commitments to sell clean vehicles in California.
- The lawsuit follows the manufacturers’ own legal challenge seeking to void the Clean Truck Partnership, arguing California’s emissions rules conflict with federal law.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is suing four truck manufacturers, alleging that they violated the terms of the 2023 Clean Truck Partnership (CTP) agreement. The lawsuit targets Daimler Truck North America, International Motors, Paccar and Volvo Group North America. CARB claims the companies “have already or will soon breach the terms of contract requiring them to sell clean vehicles in California,” and that even if they have not yet breached the contract, all four have “unambiguously stated that they do not intend to comply.”
The case was filed in the Alameda County Superior Court on Oct. 27, and seeks to compel the truck manufacturers to fulfill the agreement or compensate California for the costs incurred in carrying out its side of the deal.
The lawsuit follows an earlier legal challenge by the same manufacturers. In August, the truck companies filed a suit seeking to invalidate the CTP, which was signed in 2023 and mandated the phasing out of traditional trucks in favor of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). The manufacturers argued that federal policy changes under the Trump administration, which rolled back Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules permitting states to set their own emissions laws, rendered the agreement null and void. They contended that California’s enforcement of the CTP conflicts with federal law.
A preliminary hearing on the truck manufacturers’ request for an injunction was held on Friday. An additional court date is set for Nov. 21, when CARB is expected to file to dismiss the truck maker’s case.
