WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is removing the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) sensor requirement due to “faulty DEF systems.”
“Failing DEF systems are not an east coast or west coast or heartland issue; it is a nationwide disaster,” said Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator. “I have heard from truck drivers, farmers and many others complaining about DEF and pleading for a fix in all 50 states I visited during my first year as EPA administrator. Americans are justified in being fed up with failing DEF system issues. EPA understands this is a massive issue and has been doing everything in our statutory power to address this. Today, we take another step in furthering our work by removing DEF sensors. Farmers and truckers should not be losing billions of dollars because of repair costs or days lost on the job.”
According to the EPA, removing DEF sensors will provide immediate relief and save billions of dollars in repairs and lost productivity. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, the new guidance will save farmers $4.4 billion a year and this action will provide $13.79 billion a year of savings to Americans.
American Trucking Associations (ATA)
“The American Trucking Associations welcomes EPA’s updated guidance providing additional flexibility on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) quality monitoring and preventing forced shutdowns,” ATA said. “As we have previously said, these systems have too often sidelined otherwise safe, compliant trucks due to faulty or unreliable DEF quality sensors, an issue that was compounded by widespread parts shortages in recent years. When a bad sensor can trigger a full inducement, the result is unnecessary downtime, unnecessary towing costs, strained supply chains, and higher costs across the board.”
According to ATA, EPA’s decision to provide manufacturers with flexibility to suspend these inducements—and eliminate problematic sensors altogether by monitoring a truck’s actual emissions—is a pragmatic solution that reflects how these systems perform in the real world.
“ATA appreciates EPA’s willingness to listen to industry and act,” ATA said. “We will continue working with the agency and our industry partners to ensure emissions regulations are both effective and workable for the [people] who keep America’s goods moving.”
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)
“Small-business truckers have dealt with faulty diesel exhaust fluid systems for years, facing unexpected shutdowns and costly repairs that needlessly take trucks off the road,” OOIDA said. “These are serious operational and safety concerns. We appreciate EPA Administrator Zeldin for listening to the concerns of America’s truckers and issuing commonsense guidance that keeps our supply chain moving.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
