Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
CALIFORNIA - On Friday, the district court in the Eastern district of California will hold a hearing regarding the August 2025 lawsuit brought by four trucking giants – Daimler Truck North America, Volvo North America, International Motors, and PACCAR – against California. The court will hear arguments about whether the truck companies must comply with California’s heavy-duty requirements while the truck makers’ lawsuit is pending.
On Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court, arguing that Daimler Truck North America, International Motors, Paccar and Volvo North America violated their contract by not complying with the Clean Truck Partnership.
In 2023, these truck manufacturers signed the Clean Truck Partnership (CTP), an agreement with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), committing them to build electric trucks, regardless of any future policy shifts. Instead of honoring their commitment to the CTP, these companies filed a lawsuit against CARB to back out of the agreement.
In September, a global coalition of over 30 coalition of public health, labor, environmental, and community organizations urged the truck makers to drop the lawsuit.
In response to the advocacy around the lawsuit and the upcoming hearing, Sierra Club Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine García released the following statement:
“The Clean Truck Partnership isn’t just a manufacturing agreement with the State of California — it’s a commitment to truck drivers, fleets, and communities eager to reap the economic and health benefits from electric trucks. This U-turn away from the Clean Truck Partnership is unacceptable. Retreating from the established commitments will increase pollution for communities, worsen public health threats, and stall American competitiveness. We will continue to sound the alarm on these manufacturers' disastrous, short-sighted actions.”
Background: Together, these four truck makers make up the majority of heavy-duty trucks in the U.S. For instance, Daimler controls 40 percent of the U.S. truck market and Volvo controls 15 percent.
Globally, big trucks make up only three percent of vehicles on the road but are responsible for 86 percent of nitrogen oxide pollution and 30 percent of carbon emissions from the transportation sector. In the U.S., this pollution is heavily concentrated in communities where low-income, Black, and brown families are the most impacted.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.