Act now – Trump DOT calls for public input on deregulation of trucking sector

President Trump ran a campaign built on promises to deregulate industries. Now, as his Department of Transportation prepares to gut existing employee protections, safety rules, and emissions standards, the department is asking for public input on which existing regulations should be on the chopping block.

This is your chance to push back.

Day traders, libertarians, and other members of the perpetually clueless class may cheer for industry deregulation efforts, but as the people who know better will tell you: the OSHA handbook is written in blood.

That’s just on the safety side. On the emissions side (where Electrek usually lives), it’s worth noting that stricter emissions standards and the adoption of capable electric semi trucks at port cities have already reduced air pollution and substantially improved childhood lung health and cognitive development in communities around the most regulated ports and freight terminals. Projections from the American Lung Association indicate that widespread adoption of zero-emission trucks could prevent nearly 70,000 premature deaths, 1.75 million asthma attacks, and save $735 billion in public health costs across the US.

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This isn’t theoretical. These are proven equipment assets with thousands of hours of operation, with ten years in-service, and logging tens of millions of miles already.

Treating those regulations and those lives with the respect they deserve is key to surviving just about any career that can’t be boiled down to clicking on a computer these days, but the Trump Administration has only ever cared about blue collar workers on election day.

As if in a concerted effort to prove me right about that, a Federal Register notice published Thursday says the DOT is looking for, “comments and information to assist DOT in identifying existing regulations, guidance, paperwork requirements, and other regulatory obligations that can be modified or repealed, consistent with law, to ensure that DOT administrative actions do not undermine the national interest and that DOT achieves meaningful burden reduction while continuing to meet statutory obligations and ensure the safety of the US transportation system.”

Here’s a quick reminder that President Trump’s executive orders currently require that a body proposing any new regulation must identify at least 10 existing regulations to be repealed. And if those sound like the sort of arbitrary numbers someone might come up with to generate high engagement on a social media post without any actual understanding of whether or not they should or even if they could be applied to the real world, allow me to welcome you to 2025 (it’s been a miserable parade of ketamine and stupidity so far).

This is where you, dear reader, get a chance to tell the administration how you feel about its attempts to repeal emissions and safety standards on the 80,000-plus lb. semi trucks you live and work around every day.

Be heard, get loud

The DOT has asked for public comments, and has created an email inbox at …

Transportation.RegulatoryInfo@dot.gov

… to enable individuals to identify existing DOT regulations, reporting requirements, or other regulatory obligations that they believe should be modified or repealed … but that sword cuts both ways, and if you actually like the existing regulations … or – gasp! – want to see more regulations put in place, this is a great way to let these guys know.

You can also click here to find your Congressperson, and let them know what you think of the DOT’s plans to deregulate the trucking industry. Don’t keep any good comments to secret, though – feel free to let us know what you’re telling your representatives in the comments.

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