California Apparel News

After only one year in operation, the ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach expect their Clean Trucks Program to eliminate 80 percent of diesel truck pollution two years earlier than expected.

The Port of Long Beach reports that more than half of truck-hauled cargo is done by clean trucks. At the Port of Los Angeles, that figure is nearly 60 percent.

“The Clean Trucks Program, in just one year, has been extraordinarily successful in meeting its clean-air goals,” said Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster in a statement.

After much controversy, the Clean Trucks Program was launched Oct. 1, 2008, with the mandate that all trucks calling at the port meet 2007 federal emissions standards by 2012. On Feb. 19 of this year, the ports started charging a $35-per-20-foot container fee on all cargo not hauled by clean trucks. The fee for 40-foot containers is $70. That prompted many truck companies and drivers to switch to cleaner trucks. By mid-September, nearly 5,000 clean trucks were operating at the ports.

Port officials expect that by the beginning of 2010, almost all truck-hauled cargo will be transported by clean trucks. On Jan. 1, trucks from 1993 and older will be banned as well as 1994 to 2003 models not retrofitted to reduce air pollution.

While conversion to newer trucks is one factor helping the program, the other is that cargo-container traffic at the two ports has slipped drastically as retailers and manufacturers import fewer goods from Asia.

Container traffic at the Port of Los Angeles is down 16 percent this year compared with last year, and across the harbor at the Port of Long Beach, it has slipped 25 percent.

Recently, the two ports decided to simplify the fee structure for the Clean Trucks Program. Starting Nov. 1, they opted to drop the prepayment requirement for the clean trucks fee if the cargo is moved by clean trucks or trains. Dropping the pre-payment requirement eliminates an unnecessary administrative burden for importers and exporters.—Deborah Belgum