The Los Angeles Harbor Commission on Monday, Sept. 27, approved an adjusted implementation schedule for provisions of the Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program Concession Agreement that previously were enjoined by the federal court. The commission approved an adjustment of the dates for Licensed Motor Carriers to comply with the employee driver requirement, job referral services requirement and the off-street parking requirement. The board’s action allows time to develop compliance systems and provide LMCs ample time to begin compliance.
“We’re pleased to make these changes, which allow us to implement the full Concession Agreement as soon as it’s practical,” says Harbor Commission President Cindy Miscikowski. “As we mark the two-year anniversary of the Clean Truck Program, it’s important to note that we have reduced port-related truck emissions by more than 80 percent, with about 7,500 clean trucks handling 93 percent of the containerized cargo pickups and drop offs at our terminals. Our full Concession Agreement ensures that we will continue to reduce emissions and provide the port with LMC accountability for meeting safety and security requirements.”
The board action, which takes effect immediately, was necessary because the judgment entered by Judge Christina Snyder may have put the majority of the port’s concessionaires out of compliance with their concession agreements. The schedule for the transition toward using only employee drivers for L.A. marine terminal calls was adjusted over the next two years as follows:
• 0 percent gate moves by employee drivers by Dec. 31, 2010;
• 20 percent gate moves by employee drivers by Dec. 31, 2011;
• 66 percent gate moves by employee drivers by Dec. 31, 2012; and
• 100 percent gate moves by employee drivers by Dec. 31, 2013.
The port says this schedule is consistent with the time periods and percentages of employee driver gate moves for the initial two-year employee transition schedule, as well as the achievement date for 100 percent employee drivers under the Concession Agreements signed by the port’s Clean Truck Program LMC participants.
The Harbor Commission also deferred the use of job referral services from a work force development office until a contract can be entered into with a service provider. Additionally, motor carriers now have until Jan. 1, 2011 to submit an off-street parking plan and until July 1, 2011 to implement that plan.
Other adjustments include compliance with some requirements only on a going-forward basis, such as financial capability information submitted with concession applications and ongoing recordkeeping by the LMCs enrolled in the Los Angeles Clean Truck Program.
