Connecticut Politicians Pass Another Round of Anti-Truck Driver Legislation

The Connecticut legislature recently sent a bill to Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk fast-tracking stringent emissions standards likely to raise the costs of owner-operators and the trucking industry at large.

“The climate change crisis is becoming more acute all the time and does not follow our schedule or any timetable that we consider convenient for making policy changes,” Connecticut Senate Leader Martin Looney reportedly said. “It is happening in a way that is dangerous and poses a threat to all of us.”

Just days after passing a measure targeting 2040 for a carbon-free electricity grid, the state House of Representatives passed a similar bill that revolved around school buses and heavy-duty trucks. The party-line 95-25 vote in the Democrat-majority legislature may task semi-truck drivers with only operating zero-emission rigs in Connecticut.

“It’s always too much, too soon. And I think Democrats are looking for a headline on clean energy. But when we start peeling this all back, we need to be responsible (about) how it’s implemented,” House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora reportedly said. “ Is the infrastructure there to support all these electric vehicles and trucks? No. Do we want to impose standards that are California (standards), where California can’t even meet those standards, and they’re faced with $7 a gallon gas prices? We want to go down that route? No.”

It appears Connecticut plans to adopt regulations that mirror those in California. The Golden State targets trucks with emissions fees and denies registration of older diesel vehicles. Models manufactured before 2007 can no longer be registered in California, and trucks made before 2010 are expected to be phased out by the end of 2023. Such regulations force truck drivers to either purchase a newer vehicle or leave the state. The price of new and pre-owned Class 8 vehicles recently reached record highs.

The New England state continues to establish a reputation for targeting truckers and the transportation industry. After mulling over installing truck-only tolls like neighboring Rhode Island, the state passed legislation that effectively taxes trucks traveling on its roads and highways. Beginning in January 2023, trucks will be levied to the tune of 17.5 cents per mile to deliver goods and materials or pass through the state.

“One of our members estimated it is going to cost him an additional $200,000 per year, and if he can’t pass the cost down, whether through a line-item fee or by increasing his overall rates, he’ll be out of business,” Motor Transport Association of Connecticut President Joseph Sculley reportedly said.

The truck-only tax is expected to exact $45 million from independent truckers and fleets in the first fiscal year and $90 million in subsequent years. Adding insult to injury, Connecticut lawmakers recently doled out a tax-free holiday to shoppers and eliminated the gasoline tax. Politicians, however, declined to remove the state tax on diesel fuel.

Sources: thetrucker.com, sierraclub.com, freightwaves.com