ATD has ambitious plans for the year and our important work will focus on advocacy at the federal level, membership outreach and engagement, and advancement of our ATD NextGen truck dealers. Your engagement and participation will help us achieve our goals and will benefit all truck dealers nationwide. We are making a concerted effort to connect with members more than ever and get your feedback every step of the way.
ATD is fighting for you every day, especially in our Nation’s Capital. We are urging greater congressional oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) overly stringent NOx rulemaking and educating Congress on the EPA’s expected Phase 3 greenhouse gas/fuel economy rule. We expect a draft rule to be released by the end of this month with a final version by December 2023. All signs point to the EPA creating extremely aggressive goals for fuel economy, and the rule would likely start in 2027 in addition to EPA’s NOx rule. This could result in the biggest “prebuy/no buy” in history due to cost and reliability concerns.
As I’ve said before, truck dealers are supportive of advancing today’s clean trucks, but these new federal requirements must be practical and cost-effective for our customers. Otherwise, our customers will hold onto their equipment longer and delay investments in new trucks, which does nothing to improve the environment.
In addition to weighing in on environmental regulations, ATD expects reintroduction of bipartisan FET repeal bills in Congress. There is so much pressure from the Biden administration to deploy clean and modern trucks on the road today, and FET repeal would help incentivize fleet turnover by making all new trucks more affordable by ridding us of this onerous and outdated tax. ATD also strongly supports H.R. 621/S. 154, bills that would assist law enforcement in their efforts to combat catalytic converter theft by marking catalytic converters and creating a more transparent market that will deter theft. This is a critical issue for our medium-duty dealers who are experiencing this crime in growing numbers.
These federal issues require us to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. We need ATD members ready and willing to engage with Congress on these issues. Therefore, you don’t want to miss our new ATD Truck Industry Forum and Legislative Fly-In on June 20-21 in Washington, D.C.
Registration is now open! This is the time for truck dealers to unite and make our voices heard on Capitol Hill. I encourage you to attend and hear from Members of Congress and truck policy experts on the market outlook, the regulatory horizon, and lessons learned on electrification. Also, we will bring dealers to the Hill to meet members of Congress and discuss the real-world impact on your business and our major issues.
ATD leaders strive to get our truck dealer members involved, whether through advocacy, education, training, or participation in a 20 Group or ATD Academy class. We are working harder than ever to advance our ATD Academy and ensure truck dealers take advantage of the program’s immense value and wide educational offerings. These resources are right at your fingertips, and they will help your employees prepare for every aspect of dealership operations, now and into the future.
Finally, I’m proud to announce that we’ve recently established a new ATD NextGen Steering Committee to advance the next generation of truck dealers. We also launched a new ATD NextGen membership drive, and we’re creating more opportunities for this great group of future leaders to network throughout the year and access new educational benefits. There will be much more to come on this. If you’re interested in an ATD NextGen application, please contact ATD Manager Kim Carey at kcarey@nada.org.
ATD is ready and excited to tackle these priorities. ATD is the voice of the truck dealer, and we are here for you. Let’s work together to make 2023 the most successful year yet for our great association and our truck dealer members across the country!
