WASHINGTON — The Center for Green Market Activation (GMA), in collaboration with Smart Freight Centre (SFC), is announcing the results of its pilot procurement that will enable the largest known deployment of Class 8 zero-emission trucks and associated charging infrastructure in Texas.
Leveraging corporate demand for decarbonized on-road shipping from first mover companies like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Green Worldwide Shipping, and Meta, the program will support carrier Nevoya in deploying roughly 40 Class 8 battery electric trucks on a new all-electric Houston-Dallas route.
A Transformative Moment
“The advanced market commitments from GMA Trucking members represent a transformative moment—they’re not just supporting this deployment, they’re catalyzing a new model for how zero-emission trucking can scale,” said Sami Khan, CEO, Nevoya. “Book and claim helps unlock the capital and operational certainty to deploy electric capacity where it makes the most commercial sense, while our AI-native platform ensures we’re maximizing both utilization and emissions impact. Launching the Dallas to Houston lane is proof that the next era of trucking—combining zero-emission capacity, intelligent orchestration, and relentless efficiency—is already here.”
Reducing COe and Decreasing Noise Pollution
The trucks are expected to travel up to 7 million miles annually, reducing an estimated 60,000 metric tonnes of COe, improving local air quality, and decreasing noise pollution. Through multiyear offtake agreements, participating companies will receive verified zero-emission trucking service attribute certificates as early as 2026, accelerating Nevoyas fleet expansion and advancing decarbonization within heavy-duty transport.
Making Zero-Emission Trucking into Scalable Deployments
“With this pilot procurement, GMA Trucking has shown how to translate market demand for zero-emission trucking services into scalable deployments, said Kim Carnahan, CEO at GMA. “Through a competitive procurement process and advance purchase commitments from leading corporations, we’ve proven a replicable model to get urgently needed zero-emission trucks on the road. With contracts signed, we’re already planning for our next, even bigger procurement.”
While many shippers are committed to decarbonization, less than 1% of new heavy-duty vehicles in the United States are electric and companies struggle to find available zero-emission services on their routes. As the first large-scale application of book and claim to zero-emission trucking, the GMA pilot procurement tackles current EV access barriers and will enable Nevoya to deploy new trucks where they deliver the strongest commercial and operational value.
The GMA Approach
Similar to programs like the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA) and the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA), the GMA approach decouples the environmental benefit of the zero-emission trucking service from its physical delivery, allowing the environmental attributes to be sold and tracked separately. GMA Trucking members who purchase the attributes can claim the associated greenhouse gas reductions while helping grow the market for decarbonized trucking services.
“We’re thrilled to partner with GMA and Nevoya on this procurement, said Sam Brundrett, environmental lead at Etsy Inc. “This is an opportunity for an all-electric carrier to scale in a new location at a faster rate than otherwise possible. With millions of Etsy items moving through Texas each year, strengthening shipping reliability while cutting emissions and improving air quality for local sellers and buyers is essential.”
Accuracy, Transparency and Credibility
“GMA Truckings book and claim system is built to promote accuracy, transparency, and credibility across the zero-emission trucking ecosystem,” GMA said. “As Nevoya operates its vehicles between Dallas and Houston, an independent, accredited auditor will verify the environmental attributes being generated. These verified attributes will then be recorded in a registry, where they can be transferred to and retired by participating GMA Trucking members.”
Charging will be fully backed by renewable electricity in the form of Green-e Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).
GMA Trucking Buyers Alliance
According to a GMA press release, the GMA Trucking buyers alliance, launched in 2023 to accelerate the decarbonization of heavy-duty trucking, has grown to include nearly a dozen pioneering companies across technology, consumer goods, food and beverage and other sectors who are ready to support action to address road freight emissions. This pilot establishes a model for future collective procurement efforts, helping to expand the deployment of Class 8 zero-emission vehicles into new regions while creating economically viable pathways for companies to invest directly in heavy-duty freight decarbonization. GMA Trucking is developing a second procurement, in partnership with SFC, that will combine book and claim with direct procurement of physical low-carbon trucking services for even greater scale and impact.
“Combining book and claim with direct procurement connects corporate climate commitments to real-world action, real trucks, real infrastructure, and real emissions reductions, said Christoph Wolff, CEO of Smart Freight Centre. “This approach creates a scalable, credible pathway for decarbonizing freight.”
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.
