Ocean cargo: Port of LA/Long Beach maintains “clean trucks” plan working

Patrick Burnson, Executive Editor -- Logistics Management, 10/2/2008

LONG BEACH, Calif.—Authorities at the Port of Long Beach admitted to LM that they had feared significant glitches in the implementation of its “clean trucks” program yesterday. But with few exceptions, the process went well.

“We were pleasantly surprised by how fluid the flow of traffic was,” said Bob Kanter, the port’s managing director of environmental affairs and planning. “We were holding our breath when the gates first opened, but it soon became apparent that the plan was going to work.”

 Stationed outside the Long Beach Container Terminal, home to OOCL, Kanter watched as more than 90 percent of incoming trucks cleared inspection. He said about 15,000 drivers had been issued temporary access stickers a week earlier, and that most had followed instructions on the new entry process carefully.

“It may have helped that traffic has been down in both directions this year,” added Kanter, “but we only expect this program to become more seamless as cargo levels ramp up. It is definitely sustainable.”

Spokesmen for the Port of Los Angeles were also calling the program a success yesterday, noting that 598 companies will be using over 21,000 clean trucks by this time next year. Currently, about 10,000 trucks are participating “without delays.”

The goal for both ports is to reduce diesel pollution from trucks at the ports by 30 percent and remove up to 1,500 vehicles—about 10 percent from the total drayage fleet.

Shippers, meanwhile, are bracing for a $35-per-TEU (twenty-equivalent-unit) fee to provide funds for replacing the older trucks through grants and subsidies from the ports. The fee collection system, called PortCheck, should be operational within several weeks, added port spokesmen.