Government Relations: Protecting Your Right to Repair

CVSN is the voice of the commercial vehicle aftermarket in Washington, D.C., and state capitals across the country—advocating for fair access to the tools, data, and diagnostics needed to keep trucks on the road and America moving.

Last updated: July 2026

Latest Development

The “Freedom to Fix” Memo and EPA Guidance

On June 29, 2026, the President issued a memorandum to EPA, Lowering the Cost of Living by Promoting the Freedom to Fix. On July 1, EPA issued guidance in response, effective immediately.

It is a real win. It is also narrower than the headlines suggest, and CVSN members should understand precisely what it opens and what it leaves untouched.

“EPA opened a single lane. It is a real lane and we should use it, but it runs down a road the OEMs still control. The guidance is bounded by the Clean Air Act, which means it reaches emissions systems and stops there. And guidance is not law: what EPA granted this month, EPA can withdraw next month. No distributor can invest against that. No shop can build a business on it.

The REPAIR Act opens the whole road.”

— Kristen Kellogg, Vice President of Government Relations, CVSN

What EPA actually requires

Covering light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles, manufacturers must now provide, on reasonable terms:

• Emissions-related service information — aftertreatment, DEF, EGR, and what ties to them. Not the full service library.
• Training materials — only what emissions diagnosis and repair requires.
• OBD data and enhanced diagnostics — emissions fault codes and the diagnostics to work them.
• Passthrough reprogramming information — for emissions purposes. The strongest item on the list, and it still stops at the emissions envelope.
• Manufacturer-specific tools for purchase — for emissions work, on “reasonable” terms. That term is undefined and unadjudicated.

Manufacturers also cannot require the use of their own branded parts to repair emissions control systems — though if an owner chooses a non-certified part, the Clean Air Act does not guarantee warranty relief.

What we’re asking of members

Exercise the access — and document every time an OEM refuses, overcharges, or slow-walks you. Record the date, the OEM, what you asked for, what you were told, and what it cost you in downtime. Send it to CVSN. Real examples of OEMs ignoring federal guidance are the most persuasive evidence we can put in front of Congress. It turns our argument from principle into proof.

Report Blocked Access

The REPAIR Act and H.R. 7389

The REPAIR Act (H.R. 1566 / S. 1379) — the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act — was introduced by Reps. Neal Dunn (R-FL) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), with a Senate companion from Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Josh Hawley (R-MO). It would guarantee vehicle owners and independent repairers access to the same vehicle-generated data, repair information, and tools available to OEMs and their dealer networks — including telematics and direct wireless data access. It has been carefully crafted to be inclusive and fair, and it is what our industry needs to survive and succeed in the years ahead.

Where it stands

What’s actually in H.R. 7389 for commercial vehicles

• Sec. 202 would make Sections 2 through 8 of the 2015 heavy-duty MOU enforceable under federal law for vehicles over 14,000 lbs. That MOU was signed by CVSN, the Auto Care Association, the Equipment and Tool Institute, Heavy Duty Aftermarket Canada, and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association. It also codifies Sections 1–5 of the 2014 light-duty MOU for vehicles under 14,000 lbs.
• Sec. 203 gives the Federal Trade Commission enforcement authority, treating violations as unfair or deceptive acts or practices. For the first time, the MOU would carry the force of law rather than remaining voluntary.
• Sec. 204 directs the FTC to study restrictions on telematics and repair information access and report to Congress.

• What’s missing: the telematics and direct wireless data access provisions at the heart of the original REPAIR Act were stripped out.

   

The State Landscape

• Maine. Voters approved right to repair by ballot initiative in 2023, and the law explicitly covers commercial and heavy-duty vehicles over 14,000 lbs. In January 2026, Gov. Janet Mills vetoed LD 1228, which would have let manufacturers determine how telematics data is made available. The voter-approved law remains on the books, but implementation is stalled: the “independent entity” the statute requires has never been established, and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation’s federal challenge is active.
• Massachusetts. The 2020 voter-approved law survived a district court challenge in 2025; the appeal was argued before the First Circuit in early 2026.
• Everywhere else. CVSN’s state-level priority stays constant: commercial vehicles must not be carved out. Most right-to-repair bills are drafted with passenger cars in mind. If nobody is in the room for Class 8, heavy-duty gets dropped.

OEM Arguments vs. CVSN’s Response

How CVSN Is Taking Action

• Advocating directly with the House Energy & Commerce and Transportation & Infrastructure Committees as the surface transportation package moves toward the floor
• Working to restore meaningful telematics access to H.R. 7389 and keep commercial vehicles in the final legislative text
• Engaging the Senate as it drafts its reauthorization and considers S. 1379
• Collecting member documentation of OEM stonewalling to turn our argument from principle into evidence
• Hosting Congressional site visits so lawmakers see the impact of blocked access firsthand
• Tracking and influencing state right-to-repair proposals to prevent commercial vehicle carve-outs

The Window Is Measured in Weeks

With the surface transportation deadline on September 30, 2026, the time for influence is now.

• Send a letter to Congress. righttorepair.cvsn.org has a prebuilt letter tool that routes to your own representative. Two minutes. Then put it in front of your counter staff, techs, and shop managers — volume from real constituents in real districts is what moves a committee.
• Report blocked access. Denied diagnostic data, software, or programming and referred to a dealer? Tell us. Your experience is our evidence.
• Invite your representative to tour your facility. Nothing moves a member of Congress like standing in a shop next to a truck that can’t be fixed.
• Join the CVSN Government Relations Committee. Help shape the strategy and carry it to the Hill.

Send a Letter to Congress Join the Committee