(Reuters) - Shares in European truck makers fell on Thursday after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it would start efforts to reverse the Biden administration's vehicle emissions rules.

Analysts said trucking fleet firms had been expected to "pre-buy" trucks before the rules took effect, driving up demand, but this is now unlikely to happen.

"Given the EPA's latest comments, the market likely assumes the tighter regulations will be reversed, meaning there is no longer an expectation of a pre-purchase surge in the second half of 2025 and 2026," Metzler's analyst Pal Skirta told Reuters.

Skirta said that was the main reason behind Thursday's share price fall.

Daimler Truck, which was contacted by Reuters but was not immediately available for comment, took the biggest hit and was down 7% at 0921 GMT.

The EPA said it is also reconsidering a 2022 regulation that aims to drastically cut smog- and soot-forming emissions from heavy-duty trucks, saying the rule makes trucks more expensive.

The United States is the most important market for Daimler, which has invested heavily in emission-free drive systems with a view to climate protection goals and corresponding regulations.

Other big fallers in Europe include Sweden's Volvo and Traton, down around 3%.