Everything you need to make the case for the commercial vehicle aftermarket’s right to repair — in one page. Print it, bring it to a Hill visit, hand it to a customer.
Last updated: July 2026
Status at a Glance
The REPAIR Act (H.R. 1566 / S. 1379)
Bipartisan. Sponsored by Reps. Neal Dunn (R-FL) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA); Senate companion from Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Josh Hawley (R-MO). Commercial vehicles are in the base text.
What happened in the House
Advanced out of subcommittee in February 2026. But in May 2026, the full Energy & Commerce Committee set aside the REPAIR Act’s full text and adopted a narrower right-to-repair title inside H.R. 7389, the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act (48–1). The telematics access mandate was stripped out.
What H.R. 7389 does keep
It makes the 2015 heavy-duty MOU — which CVSN signed — enforceable under federal law for vehicles over 14,000 lbs, with FTC enforcement. Real progress, but a floor, not a finish line.
Where it’s headed
H.R. 7389 is expected to ride on the surface transportation reauthorization (BUILD America 250 Act, H.R. 8870). Both await House floor action. S. 1379 remains pending in the Senate.
Executive action
A June 29, 2026 Presidential Memorandum produced EPA’s “Freedom to Fix” guidance (July 1). It requires emissions-related service info, OBD data, passthrough reprogramming, and tools for purchase — but it is bounded by the Clean Air Act and can be withdrawn at any time.
The clock: current surface transportation authorities expire September 30, 2026. The window to influence the final text is measured in weeks, not years.
What Is the REPAIR Act?
The Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act is bipartisan legislation ensuring that commercial vehicle owners and independent repair providers have access to the tools, diagnostics, data, and repair information needed to maintain vehicles efficiently, safely, and legally.
CVSN supports it because it protects the trucking industry’s ability to operate cost-effectively and avoid unnecessary dealer-only repair delays. 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.
What the Act does
- Grants access to diagnostic codes, calibration tools, and essential repair information
- Requires secure, encrypted, owner-authorized access — not open public access
- Protects OEM intellectual property and consumer privacy
- Covers both light-duty and heavy-duty commercial vehicles
- Prevents dealer monopolies and restores fair competition in vehicle repair
Why It Matters
When independent shops are locked out of the data and software a modern repair requires:
- Fleet uptime drops. A truck waiting on a dealer appointment is a truck not earning.
- Repair costs rise. No competition means no pressure on price.
- Rural and underserved operators lose options. Dealer networks are thin outside metro areas. For many fleets, the nearest authorized service point is hours away.
- The supply chain gets more fragile. Freight that can’t move is freight that doesn’t arrive.
The REPAIR Act protects customer choice, small business competitiveness, and the delivery of critical goods and services across the country.
Rebutting the Opposition
Claim“The 2014 and 2015 MOUs already work. Codifying them is enough.”
RealityCVSN signed the 2015 MOU — and it predates the connected truck. It covers service information and tools, not the telematics and wireless data that modern diagnostics increasingly depend on. Making it enforceable is welcome. Calling it a solution is not honest.
Claim“EPA’s Freedom to Fix guidance already solved this.”
RealityEPA opened a single lane on a road the OEMs still control. Its authority runs through the Clean Air Act, so 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. Only statute opens the whole road.
Claim“Commercial trucks are too complex for independent repair.”
RealityCustom configurations don’t affect diagnostics. Most customization on a commercial vehicle is mechanical, not digital. Diagnostic systems are already standardized and accessible through secure protocols.
Claim“There’s no evidence of blocked access.”
RealityIndependent technicians report being denied essential repair data every day. And EPA’s own July 2026 action — which specifically compelled manufacturers to release passthrough reprogramming information — is federal acknowledgment that the barriers are real.
Claim“The bill threatens cybersecurity.”
RealityThe Act requires secure, encrypted, owner-authorized access — comparable to the protocols already governing healthcare and financial data.
Claim“Intellectual property will be stolen.”
RealityThe Act does not mandate disclosure of proprietary design files. It covers functional repair data only — what’s needed to fix the truck, and nothing more.
Take Action
- Send a letter to Congress. righttorepair.cvsn.org routes a prebuilt letter 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 what happened. Record the date, the OEM, what you asked for, what you were told, and what it cost you in downtime. 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 Report Blocked Access
This isn’t about politics. It’s about keeping trucks on the road, supporting America’s economy, and protecting the people who keep it running.
Right to Repair = Right to Work = Right to Compete