Article Summary
Summarizing the EPA’s July 2026 trucking actions
- Freedom to Fix directive requires manufacturers to provide diagnostic and repair information for emissions and DEF systems, but does not guarantee warranty relief for non-certified parts.
- 2027 NOx standards remain unchanged at 0.035 grams per horsepower-hour during normal operation, with extended warranty requirements rescinded to keep costs down.
- Engine derates will be eliminated through updated diagnostics, preventing sudden vehicle shutdowns caused by DEF issues and saving the trucking industry an estimated $12 billion annually.
The agency has touted its actions as “commonsense” updates to what it states are unnecessary, unworkable or burdensome regulations, designed to provide financial relief for motor carriers, vehicle owners and all Americans impacted by the movement of freight across U.S. highways.
While the ultimate impact of the agency’s actions will be borne out over time, their application begins immediately.
Below is guidance and clarity on all of the EPA’s recent trucking-related actions, how current and future regulations are changing and what these changes mean for OEMs, component suppliers, dealers and independent parts and service providers.
‘Freedom to Fix’ does not equal Right to Repair
The first market shifting action by the EPA this summer was its ‘Freedom to Fix’ directive, announced July 1 in response to President Donald J. Trump’s Lowering the Cost of Living by Promoting the Freedom to Fix memorandum, published on June 29.
This action is not a Federal Right to Repair mandate. It does not change any existing emission standards, reduce compliance obligations or supersede the 2015 memorandum of understanding (MOU) between truck and engine manufacturers and the independent aftermarket.
Freedom to Fix is a directive to manufacturers to provide diagnostic and repair information to vehicle owners and independent repair shops for the purpose of emission, aftertreatment and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) system maintenance and repairs. It is not a published regulation or law.
The EPA states the action builds upon its February guidance advancing operators’ ability to fix their non-road diesel equipment to all market segments to allow operators “to fix broken machinery easier and faster.” It also extends emission certification authority to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) for aftermarket vehicle parts to show compliance with the Clean Air Act (CAA) and verify that approved parts do not negatively impact vehicle emissions.
But the repair access it provides is limited.
Freedom to Fix will not provide the independent parts and service channel access to technical information for non-emissions related work. Additionally, while the directive notes manufacturers cannot require the use of only their own branded parts when fixing emission control systems, it does state “if a consumer chooses to use a non-certified part, the [Clean Air Act] does not guarantee warranty relief.”
And because the directive is guidance and not a Federal rule, it can be amended or rescinded at any time.
For vehicle owners crippled by aftertreatment and DEF-related service challenges, the directive is a victory. But the REPAIR Act it is not, and debate over that bill is likely to remain hotly contested in the years to come.
[RELATED: MEMA believes REPAIR Act still essential to future of truck repair]
NOx tailpipe emission requirements aren’t changing
The EPA’s formal announcement on July 9 to amend its 2027 NOx regulations was heralded as a big win for some segments of the trucking industry but was questioned by others. The mixed reaction also may have overshadowed the actual proposed amendments to the upcoming regulation, and what is and isn’t being changed.
The NOx and particulate matter (PM) emissions limits, first proposed in 2022 and more than 80% more strict than the current allowance, remain intact for model year (MY) 2027. The standards will require heavy-duty commercial vehicles to limit NOx emissions to 0.035 grams per horsepower-hour during normal operation, 0.050 grams at low load, and 10.0 grams at idle.
OEMs have been developing new engines to meet these requirements for most of the decade, and by keeping these parameters intact, they can continue the process of readying these units for mass production in January.
The actual changes to the NOx rule — which must undergo a 45-day public comment period after being published in the Federal Register before it can be finalized — come in OEM commitments to the new engines they are developing.
Under the EPA’s updated rule, extended warranty requirements written into the initial NOx rule would be rescinded, keeping emission warranties at five years/100,000 miles. The new rule also would keep useful-life requirements for heavy-duty trucks at 435,000 miles until 2030 before increasing to the 650,000 miles written into the original rule.
The updated rule also introduces nonconformance penalties (NCP) that would enable engine manufacturers to temporarily certify products above the 0.035 grams per horsepower-hour standard by paying a per-engine penalty tied to their level of noncompliance.
These changes are expected to help sustain new truck demand, which is already at near record highs. Various industry sources and OEMs have reported extended warranty requirements were expected to add between $5,000 and $10,000 to the cost of new Class 8 trucks in 2027.
[RELATED: U.S. truck fleet added 115,000 vehicles in second quarter]
Derates would be sidelined, trucks would not
The EPA’s proposal also focuses heavily on the elimination of engine derates caused by DEF system issues. The EPA states sudden, unplanned derates put vehicles and drivers at risk, increase downtime, reduce carrier delivery performance and cost the trucking industry nearly $12 billion per year.
The EPA first urged OEMs to revise engine software to eliminate derates in August 2025 and North American engine makers Daimler, Cummins and Paccar have all released their strategies for reprogramming existing engines to meet the agency’s guidance.
Integrating that directive into the updated NOx rule formalizes the earlier guidance.
Under the EPA’s updated plan, OEMs would update engine diagnostics so DEF-related issues would not create inducements but instead prompt audio or visual alerts for drivers but allow the engine to continue operating normally until necessary service could be completed.
