NY electric truck mandate asks ‘too much, too soon’ (Your Letters)

To the Editor:As president of the Central New York Retail Lumber Dealers Association, which represents building material dealers, I’m serious about the challenges our industry is facing with New York state’s push to implement the Advanced Clean Truck rule prematurely this January. Don’t get me wrong, moving toward cleaner technology is important, but we need to be smart about how we get there. Right now, this rule is asking too much, too soon. Electric trucks may have potential down the road, but they’re not ready to handle the realities of our industry. In Central New York, our delivery routes are long and these trucks just don’t have the range to make it from point A to point B without stopping for a charge. Here’s the kicker: There aren’t even any public charging stations for electric trucks in our region. So, what are we supposed to do? Hope a charging station magically appears when our trucks run out of juice halfway through a delivery?Let’s not forget the cold. We’ve all seen what winter does to batteries—ask anyone whose car barely starts after a night in the freezing cold. Electric truck batteries aren’t any different. Add that to our already long routes, and we’re looking at major delays in getting building materials to job sites. That’s a problem, and not just for us. It’s a problem for the entire construction industry and the homeowners trying to keep projects on track.I’m all for progress, but this plan just isn’t realistic yet. The technology isn’t ready, and the infrastructure isn’t in place. We need more time to get this right — time to develop the charging networks, time to improve the trucks, and time to figure out how to make this work without disrupting supply chains and driving up costs for everyone.Let’s slow down and make sure that when we make the switch to electric, we do it in a way that works for all of New York — especially here in Central New York, where we’ve got long distances, cold weather, and a lot of ground to cover.Jamie Evans
President, Central New York Retail Lumber Dealers Association
Cicero
Related: Trucking firms call on Hochul to delay New York electric vehicle mandates