ATD CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE SCOTT PEARSON ATD CHAIRMAN At the ATD Show in Las Vegas, I promised you my enthusiasm and dedication as your 2024 ATD chairman. Our industry is facing historical challenges and threats, but the energy I witnessed in Las Vegas and during the June ATD Legislative Fly-In proved to me that we are ready to take them on. I have identified the key priorities for the year: • Push back on federal electric truck mandates and educate key decision‑makers at the EPA and on Capitol Hill. • Educate truck dealers on how CARB mandates are unfolding and their impact on the truck market and their customers. • Increase truck dealer outreach to build relationships and solidify member value. • Continue to grow membership and promote the ATD NextGen program. EV MANDATES In April, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy‑Duty Vehicles — Phase 3” rule. EPA’s final rule would force the broad adoption of heavy‑duty zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), despite being less than 0.3% of sales last year. EPA’s de facto ZEV mandate will have a historic impact on truck dealerships nationwide. Unfortunately, California dealers are already experiencing unprecedented barriers to their business. These regulations are here, and we must address them head-on. Truck dealers are making a significant investment to sell and service EVs to the tune of nearly $1 billion. Selling and servicing commercial vehicles is our job, and we will continue to do it. But dealers cannot force their customers to buy trucks that do not meet their needs, and ZEVs are not there yet for most commercial applications. Commercial buyers have shown us that they are not ready to purchase ZEVs for a multitude of reasons, including insufficient charging infrastructure, inefficiency of the vehicles caused by immense weight, prolonged time required to charge, lack of sufficient range and affordability. ATD has shared this perspective with the EPA regarding the impact of the rule. We have filed official comments, testified before the EPA in person, taken EPA decision-makers on in-depth dealership tours, supported a letter led by Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) and continue to meet with both the EPA and White House regularly to convey the voice of commercial truck dealers and their customers. ATD is ensuring that truck dealer concerns are heard on this front. MEMBERSHIP AND ATD NEXTGEN Growing our membership is important to maintaining a healthy and active organization. That means focusing outreach on both big and small dealer groups. We TACKLING 2024 Priorities THE GENERATOR 14
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