DOT may scrap Biden-era road safety initiative
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is weighing changes that could unwind parts of a Biden-era road safety push, even as the earlier effort was described as successful at reducing fatalities involving passenger cars and large trucks.
The latest move came last Wednesday, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed lowering future fuel-economy targets for cars. Under the proposal, fleetwide requirements would average 34.5 miles per gallon by 2031, down from 50.4 miles per gallon under the prior trajectory.
For truck drivers, these policy shifts matter because they shape the mix of vehicles on the road, the pace of fleet turnover, and the safety and emissions rules that influence how states and carriers operate. The administration has argued the reduced requirements would still produce safer roads because newer vehicles—gas and electric—often come with advanced safety technology such as automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and collision warnings.
The Biden administration’s most recent changes to NHTSA’s CAFE standards were enacted in June 2024. The new proposal signals a different approach, emphasizing lower compliance pressure on automakers and potentially lower upfront vehicle costs, though analyses cited in the provided material also note that reduced efficiency can raise fuel spending over time.
At the same time, the EPA is also planning to delay enforcement of a Biden-era rule that would require significant cuts in air pollution from vehicles, according to Reuters. Taken together, the actions point to a broader rollback of transportation-related requirements adopted under the previous administration.
Separately, federal-state tensions over safety and compliance are also showing up in trucking licensing and funding. The federal government has threatened to withhold millions in highway aid from New York over claims that the state is issuing trucking licenses to foreign drivers without proper verification. New York’s Department of Motor Vehicles rejected that contention, saying it will continue to comply with federal rules and that each license is verified through federally issued documents reviewed under federal regulations.
Drivers have also watched scrutiny grow around licensing quality. The information provided notes that CDL mills began appearing in 2023 after the Biden administration loosened certain CDL standards to address the national driver shortage, alongside an increase in work permits for migrants awaiting asylum hearings.
- What happened: NHTSA and EPA proposed cutting car fuel-economy targets to 34.5 mpg by 2031; EPA also plans to delay enforcement of a vehicle pollution rule.
- Why it matters: These changes affect how quickly the vehicle fleet modernizes, what technology is widely adopted, and how federal safety and emissions policy is enforced.
- Broader context: Licensing standards, state verification practices, and federal highway funding are also under heightened scrutiny, with New York in a public dispute with USDOT.
The proposal on fuel economy is not final and would move through the federal rulemaking process. The outcome will determine whether the earlier Biden-era direction on fuel economy and related safety priorities remains in place or is substantially scaled back.