That possibility has made California a national benchmark, because 19 of the 50 states in the American Union adopt some of its standards for light vehicles, and 11 follow its regulations for heavy units , which together represent the supervision of more than 40% of the light vehicle fleet and 25% of the heavy vehicle fleet in the United States.

This leadership has been sustained by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) , an agency that not only regulates but also invests millions of dollars in research to combat air pollution .

CARB has seven major regulations , including two that directly impact freight transportation: the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulation , which requires manufacturers and importers to progressively sell more zero-emission vehicles between 2024 and 2035, and the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation , which requires certain operators to gradually upgrade their fleets to zero-emission vehicles between 2025 and 2042.

As Elizalde explained, the ACF has three criteria that must be met according to the fleet:

1. Local government fleets.

2. Haulage fleets (ports and railway yards).

3. Federal government and high-priority fleets.

CARB has decided to initially withdraw the request for an “exemption” from the third criterion, that is, “Federal Government and High Priority Fleets ,” which is the criterion that must be met by federal government transportation companies, private transportation companies that own more than 50 vehicles in circulation in California, or companies that use transportation services with sales greater than $50 million annually.

The enforcement of this regulation no longer carries penalties for non-compliance, Elizalde explained.

Consequently, that part of the regulation was put on hold , with no penalties for non-compliance. The rest of the regulation remains in effect for other sectors, but the overall balance has been altered.

The change represents a forced slowdown in electrification plans, especially for Mexican companies that operate directly in California or export units to that market, Elizalde noted.

“For Mexican transportation companies operating in California that met the high-priority fleet criteria , this decision represents a slowdown in the mandatory transition to zero-emission vehicles,” Elizalde explained.

He noted that these fleets are no longer required to meet the Zero Emission Vehicle (CEV) incorporation targets originally established in the ACF regulations.

“In practice, this means an indefinite extension of the deadline without specific goals, while the legal challenge filed by other states is resolved and the regulatory framework is redefined,” he said.

What impact does it have on Mexico?

Even for companies that don’t physically operate in California, the move has implications. Miguel Elizalde noted that many Mexican automakers sell units in that state under the ACT regulations, which remain in effect.

The problem now is that only the “supply” (manufacturers and importers) is regulated, while the “demand” (fleet operators) is partially unrestricted, Elizalde commented.

“This imbalance could lead to market distortions, and therefore, it would not be surprising if the provisions of the ACT were also reviewed or adjusted in the medium term, as its effectiveness depends largely on complementarity with the ACF,” he indicated.

The practical suspension of part of the regulatory framework threatens to weaken the comprehensive approach that sought to align the supply and demand for zero-emission vehicles in California.

Elizalde noted that these types of adjustments, although they may seem technical or distant, directly affected investment schedules, commercial strategies, and even industrial planning.

He also stressed that the suspension of the strictest part of the ACF had no set date for reactivation and could be extended for years, depending on the ongoing legal outcome.

In Mexico , where many companies had replicated or adapted their sustainability strategies based on California regulations, this pause represented, according to Elizalde, a turning point.

Beyond regulatory compliance, this presented an opportunity to rethink business models, redesign supply chains, and explore new technological opportunities.

For its part, CARB remains firm in its stance of protecting public health and reducing pollution. However, the regulatory landscape is no longer the same, and Mexican fleets (especially those with operations or interests in the U.S. market) are already closely analyzing the new scenario.

*Main image taken from the CARB website .

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For transporters, the decision raises alarm bells, not only because of the way it was made, without prior and extensive dialogue, but also because of the impact it could have on the operational efficiency of thousands of trips that connect the central and western parts of the country with the Tamaulipas border crossings every day.

Starting April 1 , vehicles whose final destination is not the ZMM must go around it using bypasses and peripheral highways, during restricted hours from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

The measure, implemented in response to the high concentration of pollutants in the area, was published in the state’s Official Gazette on March 22.

The state government assured that there is sufficient infrastructure , such as the Monterrey Metropolitan Area Ring Road, the Monterrey-Cadereyta Highway, and the Northeast Bypass, to ensure that freight transport avoids entering the urban area.

However, the sector believes that the measure did not take into account all the logistical and economic factors .

Abraham Sosa, general director of Logimex , acknowledged that transportation must contribute to improving air quality . However, he questioned the direct focus on heavy transport, without considering the technological advances implemented by the sector.

“They’re already low in emissions. I’m not an environmental inspector, but I don’t really know if this approach would help us because we all use air. Obviously, we all want to improve the environment,” Sosa said.

He considered it important that the government not only impose restrictions but also support the measure with constant monitoring to assess whether it actually benefits air quality.

Edgar Zamorano, a member of the National Chamber of Cargo Transportation (Canacar) in Reynosa, warned that “these types of restrictions are unilateral; they don’t encourage planned implementation or coordination with the sector.” He added that the graphs shared by the government itself show that tractor-trailers aren’t the only source of pollution.

“Private cars account for 46% of the CO2 emissions and 38% of the CO2 equivalent, while tractor-trailers only account for 17%,” Zamorano said.

He explained that more than 60% of the freight traffic circulating in Monterrey is intercity , so he pointed out that this restriction will directly affect the logistics flow connecting key regions, such as the Saltillo-Monterrey corridor or the routes from Laredo, Tampico, and Tamaulipas.

Zamorano proposed that the implementation of the measure should be accompanied by structural solutions such as “proposals for well-defined logistics corridors for the passage of cargo,” as well as “urban transfer zones where a less polluting light fleet is used for the last mile.”

He also highlighted the need for “real” initiatives and incentives to make fleet renewal cleaner.

“Freight transportation is not an enemy of the environment. We want to be part of the solution, but we need public policies based on technical data, not reactive decisions that undermine the state’s driving force,” Zamorano commented.

For his part, Héctor Hinojosa, Canacar’s representative in Nuevo Laredo, explained that dialogues have already begun with state authorities through the chamber.

He stated that the state government usually maintains communication with the chamber to disseminate these types of measures among its members, although he acknowledged that details remain to be finalized , such as the exact timing of the restrictions.

Industry representatives agreed that if the state government intends to divert cargo through the bypasses, it will also have to confront an uncomfortable reality: many transporters avoid these routes due to their high costs, and forcing them to use them without incentives could result in delays, congestion, and an overall increase in the cost of logistics operations.

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