New trucks entering service must be 2014 model year or newer

Clean truck in San Pedro Bay port complexNew trucks entering service at the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles as of Oct. 1, 2018, must be model year 2014 or newer, as the San Pedro Bay ports move forward with efforts to improve air quality and reduce the health impacts of air pollution.

As part of the Clean Trucks Program, all trucks going into marine terminals in the two ports must be on the Port Drayage Truck Registry (PDTR). The new requirement applies only to trucks registering in the PDTR for the first time. Trucks that are already registered as of Sept. 30 will be allowed to continue operating at the ports, as long as they are current on their annual dues and compliant with emission regulations set by the California Air Resources Board.

All trucks in port service are currently required to be 2007 model year or newer. About half of the trucks registered in the PDTR are at least 2010 model year or newer.

The provisions were adopted by both the Long Beach and Los Angeles boards of Harbor Commissioners in June and finalized in July. The two neighboring ports coordinate on truck standards and other air quality measures as part of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP).

The tariff change is the first in a series of steps the ports are taking to advance clean truck progress under the 2017 CAAP Update, approved last November. New strategies seek to phase out older trucks, with a goal of transitioning to zero-emission trucks by 2035. 

Future steps include waiving the annual PDTR registration fee for near-zero and zero emissions trucks and charging a rate for cargo moves by trucks with exemptions for trucks that meet near-zero and zero emissions standards. The latter is envisioned to begin in mid-2020. The ports will conduct a truck rate study and feasibility assessments prior to proposing rate changes. About 17,000 trucks are registered to work in the San Pedro Bay port complex.

Reducing pollution from heavy-duty trucks has played a major role in dramatic clean air progress at the San Pedro Bay Ports. Since 2005, the ports have reduced overall emissions of diesel particulate matter by 87 percent, sulfur dioxide by 97 percent and nitrogen oxides by 58 percent, according to the most recent air emission inventories.