Diesel Exhaust Fluid sensors will no longer be required on equipment that runs on the fuel, following a change in policy announced Friday by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA had signaled in August that such a move was likely. “EPA understands that sudden speed losses and shutdowns caused by DEF system failures that compromise safety and productivity are unacceptable and problematic,” the agency said in a prepared statement announcing the change. In February, the EPA requested data on DEF system failures from a group of large manufacturers of diesel-driven equipment, which included not only trucks but also agricultural machinery. In its Friday announcement of the DEF sensor suspension, the EPA said it had received data from 11 of the 14 manufacturers it had asked to provide that information. “In less than a month, EPA has turned around preliminary findings to issue (Friday’s) guidance,” the EPA said. The EPA cited data from the Small Business Administration which said shutdowns caused by faulty DEF sensors were costing farmers $4.4 billion per year and $13.79 billion in total savings as a result of the sensor requirement. “I have heard from truck drivers, farmers, and many others complaining about DEF and pleading for a fix in all 50 states I visited during my first year as EPA Administrator,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in the EPA’s prepared statement. “Americans are justified in being fed up with failing DEF system issues.” That statement said “preliminary review of the warranty data suggests that DEF sensor…
