Canada keeps MY2027 heavy-duty trucks in step with EPA and suspends trailer GHG rules for another year
An interim order approved by cabinet lets EPA-certified 2027 trucks and engines be imported into Canada. Trailer GHG standards stay suspended. Here is what changes for buyers and importers.
If you plan to buy or import model year 2027 heavy trucks into Canada, a federal order published Oct. 31 clears up a paperwork problem.
The Canada Gazette, Part I carries the cabinet order (P.C. 2026-1003, dated Oct. 23) approving an interim order the Minister of the Environment made on Oct. 13, 2026. It does three things under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
1. MY2027 heavy-duty trucks and engines
Canada's On-Road Vehicle and Engine Emission Regulations follow U.S. EPA standards by referring directly to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations.
EPA's tougher air pollutant standards for heavy-duty vehicles and engines start with model year 2027. Those standards now sit in parts 1036 and 1037 of the CFR. Standards for 2026 and earlier stay in part 86.
Canada's rules still pointed to the old location. According to the Gazette notice, that mismatch could have stopped companies from importing EPA-certified 2027 and later heavy-duty vehicles and engines. The interim order updates the references so EPA-certified units keep being recognized in Canada.
2. Possible EPA changes would carry over
In July 2026, EPA proposed amendments for 2027 and later heavy-duty engines. If finalized as written, they would change useful life periods and warranty requirements, add nonconformance penalties, and replace engine derates on SCR-equipped diesels with visible and audible warnings.
Because Canada uses dynamic incorporation by reference, the notice says changes to useful life, SCR inducement requirements and maintenance instructions would also apply in Canada while the order is in effect.
3. Trailer GHG standards stay suspended
The order again suspends the trailer greenhouse gas standards in the Heavy-duty Vehicle and Engine Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations.
Those standards have never applied in practice. The matching U.S. Phase 2 trailer rules were never implemented after a court challenge, and EPA repealed them in 2024. The department says Canadian trailer makers and trucking companies, which are mostly small, would face a competitive disadvantage if the rules applied only in Canada.
The cost of the delay, by the department's estimate, is about 0.7 megatonnes of CO2e in forgone reductions for 2028 trailers. For 2020 to 2028 trailers combined, it is about 4.5 Mt.
How long it lasts
The order runs for up to one year from Oct. 13, 2026. It ends sooner if it is repealed or the regulations are amended.
Compliance checklist
- Buying MY2027 trucks: confirm the truck or engine carries EPA certification. That is what Canada recognizes.
- Importers: keep EPA certification records with your import paperwork.
- Trailers: no GHG trailer standard applies to new trailers while the order is in place.
- Watch EPA's final rule on the July proposal. Changes to warranty, useful life and SCR warnings could apply in Canada too.
The order also updates light-duty vehicle classifications and Tier 4 fleet-average rules to match EPA. Questions go to Environment and Climate Change Canada's Transportation Division.