The Clean Truck Program is part of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan, a comprehensive joint strategy of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for accelerating the transition of the entire fleet to zero-emissions trucks by 2035. The strategy addresses technology, the cost and commercial availability of clean trucks, financing, funding for incentives, infrastructure, workforce development, regulations, and legislative advocacy.
In 2008, the ports banned pre-1989 trucks, followed by a progressive ban on all trucks that did not meet 2007 emission standards by 2012. All drayage trucks entering port terminals must be signed up in the Port Drayage Truck Registry (PDTR) and comply with the California Air Resources Board’s Drayage Truck Regulation. In 2018, only model year 2014 or newer are allowed to sign up in the PDTR going forward. Since the start of the Clean Truck Program in 2008, emissions of diesel particulate matter from heavy-duty trucks have plummeted 97% at the Port of Long Beach and 96% at the Port of Los Angeles.
A Clean Truck Rate was established to create a pool of incentive funds to help the trucking industry purchase near-zero- and zero-emissions drayage trucks. Cargo owners will pay the cost on loaded containers moved by truck. Collecting the rate, managing the pool of money, and allocating it in the form of incentives are key elements the ports are working on. When implemented, the Clean Truck Rate could generate an estimated USD 90 million per year. Further changes to the Clean Truck Program might follow, such as the exemption of near-zero-emissions trucks from the Clean Truck Rate.
Sources: websites Port of LA, Port of Long Beach and Association of Pacific Ports