By David Shepardson
(Reuters) -Nebraska Attorney General Michael Hilgers on Tuesday filed an antitrust lawsuit against some of the country’s largest heavy-duty truck manufacturers, accusing them of limiting the availability of diesel-powered semi-trucks in a shift to clean electric trucks.
The lawsuit says the truck makers are involved in “an industry-wide conspiracy” to phase out medium- and heavy-duty internal combustion vehicles, driven by California’s green regulations that aim to eventually end production of such semi-trucks.
The Attorney General filed suit against Daimler in court; Navistar, a unit of Volkswagen’s Traton; Paccar; Volvo Group North America; and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association.
“Eliminating diesel-powered semi-trucks is practically impossible and would entail enormous costs,” Hilgers said. “The conspiracy by these manufacturers will raise prices, reduce production, increase costs for Nebraskans, and is a classic violation of antitrust law.”
The lawsuit focuses on a July 2023 agreement between the California Air Resources Board and major truck manufacturers and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, which gave the industry flexibility to meet emissions requirements.
The companies agreed to comply with California vehicle standards “regardless of whether any other entity challenges California’s authority to adopt stricter emissions standards,” CARB said at the time.
CARB and Paccar declined to comment. The other companies and the association did not immediately comment.
In March 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved California’s plans to require increasing numbers of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks. California is still awaiting EPA approval for its Advanced Clean Fleets regulations on phasing in the use of medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles and light-duty package delivery vehicles. The rule would require manufacturers to produce only ZEV medium- and heavy-duty trucks starting in 2036.
In May, Nebraska and 15 other states sued CARB over its clean fleet policy.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said last year that half of all heavy-duty trucks sold in California will be electric by 2035. By 2045, the state plans to mandate that all medium- and heavy-duty vehicle operations be zero-emission wherever possible.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Richard Chang)
