Trucking Companies NAICS 484110, 484121, 484122, 484210, 484220, 484230

May 23, 2025 - Congress Votes to Rescind California EV Rules

• The US House of Representatives and the Senate voted in May 2025 to undo waivers from the Environmental Protection Agency that allowed California to set aggressive vehicle pollution standards in its state. It is the latest attempt by Congress to set aside California’s mandates for trucking’s transformation to electric vehicles (EVs) and its plan for 35% of new automobiles sold to be zero-emission. California is one of the nation’s biggest auto markets and a dozen other states, who can’t set standards of their own, nevertheless followed California’s lead on EVs. Accordingly, roughly 30% of the US auto market could be affected since they followed the Golden State’s lead. Trucking trade associations and auto makers, who have long felt the targets were unrealistic and overly aggressive, supported the move. The bill now heads to Trump for a signature, while California has indicated it might sue to get the rules reinstated.
• Trucking companies enjoyed a hiring boost in April 2025 as companies raced to stockpile inventory ahead of anticipated tariffs, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The industry added 1,000 drivers last month, the fourth straight month of growth, helping to prop up a profession that has been bleeding jobs since 2022. The gains might be short-lived, though, if a protracted trade war continues to squeeze supply lines and leads to consumer goods shortages and empty trucks. On the other hand, if trade deals with China and other countries are signed, trucking employment could stabilize. According to David Spence, VP Market Intelligence with Arrive Logistics, “Should deals be reached with China and our other key trading partners, we could see a resurgence in demand that would generate a need for additional capacity and enable employment to hold steady or even increase from here.”

• A lack of parking for US truckers has long been a problem for the industry with only one parking space available for every 11 drivers, per a report from The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). Without adequate rest area parking, long-haul truckers are more prone to accidents due to fatigue. Per ATRI’s data, the average rest area in the US has 19 truck parking spaces. Southern states beat the national average with 25 parking spaces per rest area, while Northeastern states lag behind with an average of 15 spaces. The report also noted features drivers prefer in rest areas, including 24-hour security, walking trails, dump stations, pet areas, proper lighting, camera surveillance, and emergency call buttons, among others. Some state governments have aggressively tackled the issue, creating interactive parking information dashboards, converting state-owned land to parking facilities, and setting up emergency parking programs for times of bad weather.
• Trucking industry employment has remained flat throughout 2024, while average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased nominally to an average of $30.36 an hour, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). A significant driver shortage brought on by attrition through retirements and younger-employee burnout in a stressful and isolating job has been hampering the industry. Truck drivers are in high demand and paid well as a result. Going forward, the US government’s threat to soon slap heavy tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods - two huge partners in transportation manufacturing - could drive up costs and trigger job cuts in the freight hauling industry.