Get caught up on the latest RV and Camping news for the week of December 2nd, 2024 by clicking the link above to watch on YouTube or reading the video transcript below.

Oregon Delays Motorhome “Ban”

First up, the state of Oregon will officially delay the adoption of the California Air Resources Board’s Advanced Clean Truck regulations that would require chassis manufacturers to have an increasing percentage of their fleets be Zero Emissions Vehicles.

California is the only state that has the legal authority to set their own emissions standards, other states can adopt either the federal standard or join with California. So far, five states –  Oregon, Washington, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts – were set to join the CARB Advanced Clean Trucks ruling for 2025.

The ruling requires 11% of a manufacturer’s fleet to be Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEVs). It also establishes a credit system where manufacturers that produce more than 11% ZEVs can sell the right to produce internal combustion engine vehicles to other manufacturers.

That caused big diesel RV chassis suppliers to tell RV manufacturers they wouldn’t be getting any chassis for these states in the new year. Some are critical of that statement, saying that RV manufacturers could buy those credits, which are going for about $10,000 a piece on the market CARB has set up. This cost increase would effectively boost the cost of motorhomes by $10,000. 

RV manufacturers have been meeting with CARB to try to come up with a solution or push for a delay, and it seems like Oregon thinks a delay is the right thing to do. Oregon will wait to adopt the Advanced Clean Trucks rules until 2026, when Vermont is slated to join, followed by  Colorado, Maryland, New Mexico, and Rhode Island in 2027. 

By 2035, those sales need to reach at least 55% of zero-emissions trucks sold.

According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, in 2023 there were 13,275 medium-to-heavy-duty vehicles sold in the state. More than 1,700 of those were zero-emission trucks, either EVs or hydrogen vehicles. However, the rules are by manufacturer, and only certain manufacturers sell certain vehicles, giving them the credit to be able to sell combustion vehicles. 

JD Power Releases Quarterly Report on RV Values

J.D. Power has released it’s latest quarterly report on RV Values. According to the vehicle data giant, Used RV valuations turned downward in the 3rd quarter, which is typical for the fall. Values are very similar to this time last year, with travel trailer values down 3.6% year-over-year. Fifth-wheels averaged 0.2% higher year-over-year. Class A motorhomes were up 1.7% and Class C motorhomes were down 2.8%.

J.D. Power says inventories and customer demand continue to move in the wrong direction for the industry, but looking at their graphs, what I found interesting was that RV values cratered back in the spring, and it looks, as far as pricing is concerned, that might have been the market low-point. I know a lot of that had to do with dealers dumping off 2022 inventory for cheap that had been sitting on their lots for too long.

With the two fed interest rate cuts and an expected third one in December, the RV industry is hopeful that people will be a little more loose with their purchases in the RV buying season, which will hit full-swing in the spring of 2025. That said, I’ve heard from one dealer that the actual interest rates they’re getting back from banks for customers haven’t waned much with these last couple cuts. 

Winter Weather Outlooks

The National Weather Service’s climate prediction center has released its final outlook for the meteorological winter (December through February) – nothing too crazy, the deepest parts of the Southwest and Southeast are likely to have above-normal temperatures, while a wider swath of the West, South, and East, including the Northeast all the way up to Maine are leaning towards a warmer winter.

Meanwhile, the Northern Plains and Northwest are leaning toward a colder-than-average winter. The lower half of the country is leaning toward lower precipitation than normal, while much of the Midwest and Northwest are leaning toward higher precipitation than normal. 

RV Explodes on Pennsylvania Turnpike

A woman is on life-support after her RV exploded at a service plaza on a the Pennsylvania turnpike on November 19th.

Media reports originally indicated that the couple who owned the RV were not seriously injured, but the family reached out to CBS 21 to clarify that Melinda VanNewkirk was seriously injured in the explosion, with burns covering her body. She was put on a ventilator and only opened her eyes for the first time over a week later on Thanksgiving day.

The explosion was partially caught on the dashcam of the truck park next to the motorhome – the video shows it nearly disappearing in an instant. The explosion was blamed on a propane leak that was sparked by a cigarette.

Duane and Melinda VanNewkirk had been traveling to New Mexico, where their son lives, and intended to stay there for the holidays. The explosion also destroyed the couple’s jeep, their only other vehicle, which they were towing behind the motorhome. Duane said he pulled the blanket off of his head and his wife was just standing there with nothing around her— she was the only thing left. He escaped with minor injuries and is staying in a nearby hotel while his wife recovers.

Their home is hours away in Delaware. A GoFundMe has been set up to support the couple’s recovery.

Stellantis Problems Continue

Problems are mounting for Stellantis, the parent company of Ram trucks. Ram continues to lose market share, having lost over 19% in the first half of 2024. There are issues across Stellantis brands like Jeep, Chrysler, and Dodge, including inflated inventory that is still overpriced.

Dealers say incentives are needed to reduce the bloat – and that people aren’t flocking for $80,000 cars right now like they were in 2021. Whatever recovery Stellantis made was rocked on Sunday when its CEO resigned effective immediately. Carlos Tavares was expected to stay on for at least another year. In September, Stellantis issued a profit warning on its 2024 results that included a forecast for a cash burn of up to 10 billion euros ($10.6 billion dollars), mostly due to slow sales and bloating inventories in its North American market.


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