The Biden administration has set in motion a focus on heavy truck regulations to improve safety, emissions, and the impact of trucking on the environment. These regulations and initiatives – being at the federal level – will apply across the US once finalized. They’ll therefore affect highway construction companies, their general contractors (you!), and the hauling companies you use.
Regulations Affecting Highway Construction Companies
Here, we’ll assume the legislation will go ahead – although obviously a new administration may alter the proposals that aren’t yet finalized.
Safety for Highway Construction Companies
In June 2023, the Biden administration, through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), proposed updates to the Hours of Service (HOS) regulations. This was to improve safety for commercial drivers and reduce risk of accidents from driver fatigue.
As of now, these updates have not been finalized or implemented.
However, if they are finalized and implemented, and if Texan rules remain unchanged, they will only affect trucking operations in Texas when drivers go interstate. On the other hand, if Texas decides to align their HOS rules with the federal government, they’ll apply there too.
This would mean possible increases in costs for trucking companies. In addition, there would be the possibility of some smaller businesses failing and others passing on some of their costs.
Emissions in Highway Construction Hauling
In April 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new stringent emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks. These are due to start in model year 2027.
The aim is to significantly reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and other pollutants from new trucks.
The new standards are federal regulations. Therefore, once finalized, they apply across the entire US, so truck manufacturers and operators in Texas will have to comply. Again, they’ll either absorb or pass on some of the costs.
Highway Construction Companies and the Environment
In December 2023, the Biden administration launched the Clean Trucks Plan, which includes initiatives to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission trucks and improve the sustainability of the trucking sector. This plan also covers
- investments in charging infrastructure for electric trucks and
- incentives for fleet operators to transition to cleaner technologies.
The Clean Trucks Plan is another federal initiative. It’s an understandable policy but one that entails substantial costs – as governments globally have been discovering!
In the US, it includes nationwide efforts, such as investments in charging infrastructure and incentives for fleet operators – which will impact Texas in various ways.
So let’s examine the impact of these proposed regulations on general contractors in Texas.
How New Heavy Truck Regulations Impact Texas General Contractors
As indicated above, these federal measures are designed to create uniform standards and improvements across all states. They also ensure that Texas – a major hub for trucking – will be significantly affected.
As a general contractor, you’re probably involved in one or more of these current projects:
- The reconstruction of I-35 in Travis County (Austin District): major reconstruction and lane addition, estimated at $1.45 billion.
- The widening of IH 10 in Colorado County (Yoakum District): freeway widening and infrastructure upgrades at an estimated $503.2 million.
- SH6 in Brazos County (Bryan District): lane expansion from four to six with additional bike and pedestrian facilities at a possible cost of $471.9 million.
- Expansion of McKinney National Airport, and at Houston George Bush and Austin-Bergstrom International airports. These are major ongoing projects for expansion, upgrading, additional infrastructure, etc., with yearly costings.
The budgets for these projects have to be adhered to in essence – although we all know from experience that government projections of costs can spiral out of control!
And with the Biden administration’s new regulations in the pipeline for safety, emissions, and environmental protection, new costs come into the equation.
In previous blogs we’ve discussed rising insurance costs and a number of other cost challenges for the freight hauling industry – all of which are being passed up the chain to general contractors.
Overhauling the HOS, pushing for lower emissions, and the introduction of sustainable trucking and cleaner technologies will ultimately add to the total costings for the highway construction companies involved in these Texan initiatives.
Granted these linked factors affecting trucking in Texas, you need to mitigate your own position financially as a general contractor.
How Texas’s General Contractors Can Mitigate Some of These Costs
With the added burden of new regulations in the pipeline, Texas highway construction companies will need to find ways to mitigate the impact on their operations – which comes down to you, the general contractors, having to plan ahead! How will you organize your subcontracting to hauling companies?
In our opinion, your first line of attack should bear in mind the following factors:
1 Safety Issues: Insist on Advanced Fleet Management Systems
Taking a cautious approach, let’s suppose Texas aligns itself with the federal revision of HOS. In this case, you can mitigate the associated costs by subcontracting to hauling companies with advanced fleet management systems.
These systems can
- monitor driver behavior in real-time,
- ensure compliance with HOS rules, and
- help reduce incidents of driver fatigue.
Using telematics and GPS tracking, you can optimize routes and schedules and improve overall safety and efficiency – which can offset the potential costs of compliance.
2 Emissions Issues: Partner with Eco-Friendly Hauling Companies
To manage costs associated with new stringent emissions standards, you should seek to partner with hauling companies that are proactive in adopting cleaner technologies.
This can include companies that already use trucks compliant with upcoming emissions standards or those that are transitioning to electric or hybrid vehicles.
By collaborating with environmentally responsible partners, you can reduce your carbon footprint and potentially benefit from any available federal or state incentives aimed at promoting cleaner transportation options.
3 Environmental Issues: Invest in Sustainable Construction Practices
In response to the Clean Trucks Plan and the push for zero-emission trucks, you can look to invest in sustainable construction practices.
This includes:
- Using low-emission machinery
- Recycling construction materials (we’ll talk about this in a future post)
- Incorporating green building techniques
Additionally, you can explore grants and subsidies offered by the government for adopting sustainable practices. By positioning yourself as leaders in sustainability, you can not only mitigate regulatory costs but also gain a competitive edge in the market.
Cowboy Trucking Makes It Easy for Highway Construction Companies
If you need to contract reliable trucking services in Dallas and beyond, Cowboy Trucking has decades of experience in getting the job done to the highest standards for federal, state, or city projects. With our modern fleet of 100+ trucks backed by cutting-edge tech resources and admin staff, we’re the partner you can trust to maximize productivity for your project. Call us today!