Cleaning Up Our Freight System

Exhaust from freight vehicles, like medium and heavy-duty trucks that transport our goods, contribute to smog and fine particulate pollution. This causes over 4,400 premature deaths every year, as well as thousands of emergency room visits and millions of lost school days. Freight pollution has a disproportionate impact on historically harmed communities living adjacent to ports, rail hubs and freight corridors.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Electrifying vehicles in the freight system is one promising solution towards addressing toxic diesel pollution. Electric trucks, in particular, are available and ready today and produce no tailpipe emissions. Transitioning to electric vehicles will cut down on climate pollution, and allow communities to breathe more freely. But we need action at all levels of government to reduce emissions from the freight system.

The resources on this page will help you understand the problem with a freight system that relies on diesel and offer actions we can take right now to reduce emissions and get the goods we need in a less harmful way.