LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners unanimously approved on Nov. 4 a program that will charge cargo owners for using trucks that don’t meet rigorous clean air standards.
The port will begin collecting fines on April 1, 2022, at $10 per container hauled by a nonexempt truck. The Port of Long Beach is also implementing the fine.
“As we continue to move record-breaking cargo through the busiest port in the Western Hemisphere, it is vital that we implement the Clean Truck Fund Rate to expedite the transition of trucks servicing the Port to zero-emissions,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement.
The board initiated the program to the transition of zero-emission trucks at the Port of Los Angeles.
Zero-emission trucks are exempt from the rate, along with trucks that meet or exceed California’s low nitrogen oxide standard through Dec. 31, 2027.
Loaded containers entering or leaving marine terminals by on-dock rail will also be exempt.
The rate is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2034, according to the port.
The Clean Truck Fund Rate is expected to collect about $45 million annually for each port, and the Port of Los Angeles said their portion will exclusively go toward zero-emission trucks and infrastructure that will help the port reach its goal of eliminating all emissions from trucks at the port by 2035.
“Today’s action by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners marks the next phase of our transition toward a zero-emissions truck fleet,” said LA Port Executive Director Gene Seroka. “The Clean Truck Fund Rate is just one component of the funding needed to achieve our ambitious goals. The transition to [zero emission] trucks will require a broad public-private partnership.”
