An older group of trucks not originally included in the Port of Long Beach’s Clean Trucks Program now are banned from port shipping terminals starting Friday, July 1. About 500 Class 7 trucks are barred from working at the port.
Beginning in 2008, the Clean Trucks Program required the trucking industry to switch to newer low-emissions Class 8 heavy-duty trucks for shipping containers in and out of the port complex. Today, more than 10,000 clean trucks, meeting stringent 2007 federal emissions standards, service the port and account for 93 percent of the container traffic, decreasing drayage truck-related pollution by 80 percent, the port says.
Class 7 rigs originally were not included in the Clean Trucks Program’s progressive ban of older trucks because they typically were not used in container transport. But some companies began using them to move lighter loads, such as empty containers, as older Class 8 trucks were denied access to the port. The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners closed the loophole in January by including Class 7s in the Clean Trucks Program.
“Although the Class 7 rigs did not represent a big percentage of the drayage truck fleet, there was still a matter of fairness to the trucking industry partners who got on board early and invested millions to buy cleaner less-polluting trucks,” says Richard Steinke, port executive director. “This renews our commitment to cleaning up our operations. Although air quality is much better than it was even just a few years ago, we will always be looking for ways to be greener.”
The port estimates that about 500 Class 7 trucks with 2003 engine models or older will be banned from the port starting July 1. Most Class 8 trucks with engines older than 2004 were banned at the start of 2010. Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, all drayage trucks will have to meet the 2007 federal emissions standards.
