L.A. port to continue Clean Truck plan

Updated Dec 10, 2009

The next phase of the Clean Truck Program at the Port of Los Angeles takes effect Jan. 1, 2010, when trucks equipped with engine model years 1993 and older will be banned from the port. Additionally, trucks equipped with engine model years 1994-2003 also will be denied terminal access unless retrofitted with an approved diesel emissions control system.

The restrictions coincide with similar regulations to take effect at all ports and rail yards in California, established by the California Air Resources Board. The statewide restrictions also will ban trucks with engine model years 1993 and older, and will require retrofits on trucks equipped with engine model years 1994-2003.

Already there are about 5,100 newer and cleaner trucks at the port and on the surrounding freeways as a result of the Clean Truck Program. These trucks presently are making nearly 66 percent of the cargo container pickups and dropoffs at the port – a number that is expected to increase to more than 90 percent in early 2010. By spring, port officials estimate that there will be between 6,500 and 7,000 trucks serving the ports that meet or exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2007 heavy-duty truck emissions standards. These “clean trucks” that replace the older, dirtier models generate substantially lower emissions because of government regulations to build cleaner engines.

“Since the start of the Clean Truck Program on October 1, 2008, we have reduced port truck air emissions about 70 percent compared to 2007 fleet average air emissions data,” said Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. “With this next level of truck enforcement, which is consistent with state regulations at all California ports and railyard operations, we expect to quickly reach an 80 percent reduction in emissions. That gets us to our clean air goal two years ahead of schedule, which allows everyone to breathe easier.”

Since the Clean Truck Program’s inception, more than $150 million in grants and incentives to replace outdated trucks have been offered from sources including the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, CARB, Proposition 1B and the South Coast Air Quality Management District. On Jan. 1, 2012, only trucks equipped with engine model years 2007 and newer will have access to terminals.

Partner Insights
Information to advance your business from industry suppliers

For more information on the Clean Truck Program, click here or call either the Clean Trucks Program Help Line at 866-721-5686 or the Clean Trucks Center at 888-556-8789.