Clean trucks fee

Following on from that, the Port of Long Beach Harbour Commissioners are now considering a Clean Trucks Fee to help put a new generation of cleaner trucks into service. “Dirty diesel trucks are a major source of port-related air pollution and present an unacceptable health risk to the public,” said port executive director Richard Steinke. “The Clean Trucks Fee, if approved by the Board, would generate US$1.6bn to help fund cleaner trucks and reduce air pollution.”

The proposed fee would place a US$35 charge on every loaded cargo container entering or leaving the Ports by road (drayage) truck beginning June 1, 2008. The fee would not apply to containers entering or leaving the Ports by train and would end when the trucks meet Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) requirements in about 2012.

“The ports do not own or operate the drayage trucks that serve port terminals,” Steinke explained. “However, to achieve the aggressive clean-air goals outlined in the CAAP, we believe that a progressive ban on dirty trucks, followed by the proposed Clean Trucks Fee, would be the most direct way to cut air pollution and reduce public health risks.”