We all rely on big trucks to move goods around and on other heavy duty vehicles to serve a lot of community needs. Usually, that also means a lot of diesel pollution because of the fuel. But there are answers! All over the world and here in the U.S., clean trucks and heavy duty vehicles are rolling.

The quiet and clean truck engines are good news for people living close to the roads – and to the men and women who drive them. From cold places to red states and blue states, rural and urban landscapes, their experiences confirm that we should have more clean trucks on the road. 

Take this Frito-Lay delivery truck driver in New York, one of many drivers operating medium duty delivery trucks that travel up to 100 miles a day.  A long-time employee, he is now a driver of an electric delivery vehicle: “There was no noise and no fumes,” he reflected. When asked if he would return to a gas-powered delivery van, he responded “I wouldn’t want to do it. After being in this — it’s just night and day.” 

An electric garbage truck driver raved in a recent interview: “this electric garbage truck is way quieter, it’s way smoother, it’s faster.” Theo White, a school bus operator in Highline, WA, shared how he sees the electric bus benefits for kids too: “the students get on and they love it. They look around and wonder why it’s so quiet.  We have students that have autism and special needs. Driving this bus helps them a whole lot. The only thing you hear are the tires.” 

Professional truck drivers who have logged significant road miles in electric long haulers are quick to share their enthusiasm about their experiences, like in “Electric Trucker,” a video diary of a long-haul truck driver: “I’ve been driving electric trucks for 6 weeks and I’m never going back,” he reports. He especially appreciates the trucks’ superior acceleration when they need to pass a slower vehicle on the road, as well as his charging experiences while on routes. 

“I love this truck and I don’t ever want to go back to diesel,” another big-rig driver wrote in a community forum, posting about their experience after driving an electric truck for three months in Norway, switching to an electric model. “The ride is almost silent compared to a diesel and there are no vibrations at all.”

Drivers of clean trucks love the experience for the clean and quiet ride, and businesses ranging from big ones like Amazon to many smaller ones are transitioning their fleets away from diesel given lower maintenance, reduced fuel costs and a boost towards doing their part to meet sustainability goals. 

Watsontown Trucking Company just rolled out five electric trucks at their industrial park in Milton, PA, and point out that “a lot of [their] clients are pushing” for the trucks, and they themselves have sustainability goals to meet as a business. 

An Oklahoma Dairy also touted their electric yard trucks as a benefit to their community and customers, funded with state money. “We are committed to making decisions that positively impact our employees, customers, and the communities we serve,” said Adam Brown, director of distribution at Hiland Dairy. 

Major ports are also encouraging clean trucks, notably Port of Long Beach, CA recently invested in charging for up 200 trucks a day. Fire departments are starting to get more electric engines in stations, helping firefighters avoid harmful diesel fumes and providing “a blueprint for how modern fire departments can protect both our community and our planet,” said Redmond WA Fire Chief Adrian Sheppard.

What’s holding up more clean trucks, heavy duty vehicles, and school buses coming your way? Not surprisingly, the oil industry and their allies want to delay laws and block funding for more clean trucks. The Trump administration also has a hand in the possible slowdown–with federal funding for charging on hold, and potentially attempting to block  California’s Advanced Clean Truck Rule. Those challenges to California affect other states that follow that state’s clean truck rules, including Oregon and Washington. We have the power in our hands to do something about it here. 

Right now state legislators are deciding if they should fund more rebates and heavy-duty charging like a 25 bay fast charging station in Salem on I-5. In Oregon state legislators could decide whether or not to keep laws on the books that require truckmakers to sell more big clean vehicles over time.

Stories like these highlight the many other positives from cleaning up big trucks in addition to more fresh air, less noise and helping cut climate pollution. State legislators need to give the green light for more clean trucks now—no delays, no roadblocks.