Partners with Port of L.A. to invest in zero-emissions drayage fleet

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles officials gathered Friday to launch the Clean Truck Fund rate, which will supercharge deployment of zero-emissions trucks and infrastructure at the nation’s largest port complex.

As of April 1, cargo owners will pay up to $20 per loaded container hauled by drayage trucks in and out of the container terminals. Exemptions from the rate are provided for loaded containers hauled by zero emissions trucks, and under limited circumstances, by low-nitrogen oxide trucks. Read the fact sheet.

The two ports, trailblazers in sustainable goods movement, have set an industry-leading goal to achieve zero-emissions drayage trucking by 2035. The Clean Truck Fund rate was created to help support the changeover to cleaner trucks and is expected to generate $90 million in the first year, or $45 million per port.

“The Clean Truck Fund is going to clean our air and help usher in a zero-emissions future at our ports,” said Mayor Garcia. “It’s another step forward on the commitments we made to adopt the goals of the Paris Climate agreement and the Clean Air Action Plan. We must continue to invest in climate action at our harbor.”

“I’m urging the intermodal shipping industry to follow our lead in San Pedro Bay by decarbonizing trucking and minimizing climate impacts,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “The Clean Truck Program allows us to balance the aggressive pursuit of zero-emissions operations with economic vitality and competitiveness. This rate is a vital component of this program.”

“Today is an important step in getting truckers the assistance they need as we collaborate to create a zero-emissions truck fleet,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Steven Neal. “We’ve shown we can do this, and more importantly, that our industry friends are great partners when it comes to the work of making goods movement more sustainable.”

PortCheck, a private company, was selected by both ports to collect the rate. Cargo owners or their agents must be registered in the PortCheck system to arrange to pay the rate prior to pick up or drop-off. The CTF rate web portal is connected to the existing PierPass system for registration at www.pierpass.org. Users of the web portal can claim containers and provide for advanced payment of the rate. A PortCheck helpline is listed on the PortCheck webpage for any technical support of the CTF rate collection system.

Informational workshops on the CTF rate and collection mechanism have been held for cargo owners, their agents, and the trucking community. Videos and presentations of the workshops are on the CAAP website at cleanairactionplan.org/strategies/trucks.

Phasing out older, more polluting trucks has been key to clean air gains the San Pedro Bay ports have made since the original Clean Truck programs were launched in 2008. Diesel emissions from trucks have been cut by as much as 97% compared to 2005 levels. Trucks remain the ports’ largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and the second-highest source of nitrogen oxides, a contributor to regional smog formation. Each port’s tariff requires payment of the CTF rate by cargo owners or their authorized agents, and includes a provision prohibiting payment by drayage truck drivers or operators.

Learn more about the Port of Long Beach’s environmental programs at polb.com/environment.

The Port of Long Beach is one of the world’s premier seaports, a gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in goods movement and environmental stewardship. As the second-busiest container seaport in the United States, the Port handles trade valued at more than $200 billion annually and supports 2.6 million trade-related jobs across the nation, including 575,000 in Southern California.