Pickup trucks hold an esteemed place in American society, playing a significant role in both personal and business transportation. However, a sector of the pickup truck culture has recently been scrutinized for its negative environmental impact. A practice known as “rolling coal” involves modification of a vehicle’s exhaust control system, typically in diesel pickup trucks. This alteration overloads the engine on command with diesel, resulting in a release of black clouds of environmentally harmful soot. This anti-environmental practice is often used as a symbol of resistance to environmentally-friendly alternatives such as electric or hybrid cars.
The “rolling coal” practice has spawned an entire market catering to the sale of “defeat devices,” which allows for the modification of exhaust systems. ‘Tens of thousands of such devices are sold in the US each year.
This controversial market trend seems to be facing significant regulatory scrutiny, with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recently taking legal action against online retail giant eBay. This federal court complaint alleges that eBay enabled over 343,000 illegal transfers of vehicle exhaust system defeat devices. The complaint also includes accusations that the retailer illegally sold or distributed restricted-use pesticides and banned commercial methylene chloride products.
In the face of fines under the Clean Air Act, each illegal sale could potentially cost eBay $5,580, potentially leading to a total penalty of $2 billion. The weight of this figure is readily apparent when compared to eBay’s total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2022 – a sum of only $2.5 billion.
eBay has publicly denied the allegations, stating that they have successfully removed “more than 99.9%” of the listings cited by the DOJ. This current legal battle is one of several recent high-profile actions by federal regulators against major online businesses, including an FTC antitrust suit against Amazon and a DOJ case against Google.
While pickup trucks remain a prominent feature of American society, with Ford’s F-Series pickup trucks continuing to lead in vehicle sales in the U.S., the controversial aftermarket sector of coal-rolling equipment faces an increasingly hostile climate. As the outcome of the case against eBay remains uncertain, the legal action serves as fair warning to other companies potentially considering profiting from environmentally damaging practices.