California Repeals Advanced Clean Fleets Mandates for Drayage and High-Priority Fleets

California has finalized the repeal of two major portions of its Advanced Clean Fleets regulation. Commercial Carrier Journal reported the development September 14 and updated its coverage September 15. State rulemaking records show that approval by the Office of Administrative Law made the repeal effective September 10, removing the High Priority and Drayage Fleet requirements from the ACF rule.

Those provisions had set phased zero-emission vehicle purchasing and fleet-composition requirements for large fleets and trucks serving California ports and intermodal rail yards. The California Trucking Association challenged the regulation in October 2023. The California Air Resources Board then held enforcement of the challenged provisions while seeking federal authorization, and the agency announced in April 2025 that it would move to repeal them.

The action changes a significant compliance forecast for drayage operators and other covered businesses, but it is not a blanket cancellation of every California clean-truck program. Other vehicle, air-quality, port, local and customer requirements may still apply. Fleets should therefore avoid treating the headline as permission to disregard separate rules or contractual commitments, and they should confirm which equipment and operations were governed by the repealed sections.

Managers can use the change to update replacement schedules, capital plans and compliance files. Record the September 10 effective date, identify assumptions that depended on the High Priority or Drayage Fleet provisions and verify current obligations through official CARB and local-agency guidance. Existing electric-truck projects may still make operational or business sense, especially where charging, incentives and predictable routes align. The repeal removes specific mandates; it does not decide the economics of every fleet investment. Careful scope review is the best way to prevent both unnecessary spending and accidental noncompliance.