Like the many vehicles in Massachusetts stuck in traffic, the Advance Clean Truck rule has hit a delay. NFIB joined a coalition of 50 other organizations asking Governor Healey to pause enforcement of this regulation that impacts both truck dealerships and those small businesses that rely on medium and heavy-duty vehicles.

The California style regulation aimed to reduce the number of fossil fuel powered trucks in Massachusetts by mandating more electric vehicles are sold instead. This would have forced businesses to either purchase higher cost electric vehicles (in a state that lacks the infrastructure to support electric trucks), compete to find non-electric vehicles outside of Massachusetts, or leave older, dirtier trucks on the road for longer periods of time.

We want to thank the many NFIB members that sent hundreds of letters to your elected officials on this topic. Your activism, along with letters from others like you across the Commonwealth, helped turn the tide and shine a spotlight on this very important matter. However, the fight is not over yet as this is only a delay in enforcement. Lawmakers must take action to scale back some of the burdensome environmental policies that make it too costly to operate a small business in Massachusetts.