The last few weeks have been busy ones in the world of pollution reduction from port trucks. Here’s a recap of some of the more significant events.
The Los Angeles Harbor Commission May 15 adopted a detailed clean truck concession plan, describing how harbor trucking companies can qualify to provide drayage services. A key requirement – not adopted by the Port of Long Beach – is that over time, more and more of the port truck drivers must become employees of the trucking companies. The first such requirements begin in 2009, and by 2013 trucking companies serving the Port of Los Angeles must use only employee drivers. Successful concessionaires must also comply with maintenance, safety, security, and off-street parking requirements, and must demonstrate financial stability.
That last requirement ensures that the concessionaires will be able to qualify for grants and loans to be offered through the ports’ Clean Truck Program (CTP). This month, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are jointly seeking an administrator for the CTP. The request for proposals, issued by both cities, acknowledges that the two ports’ programs are not identical. It asks bidders to propose setting up a CTP “One Stop Shop” to work with either licensed motor carriers (LMC) or individual truck owner-operators. The Los Angeles plan would provide loans only to LMC’s, while the Long Beach plan will work with both. Bidders are also asked to provide services in Spanish as well as in English.
Some of the money the ports need to facilitate the clean-truck transition will now be on its way from the state of California. On May 22 the Air Resources Board awarded the two ports $98 million from bond funds approved by voters via Proposition 1B in November of 2006. The entire cost of the effort to replace San Pedro Bay port trucks with cleaner models has been estimated at $2 billion. In this round of state funding, the two ports had jointly applied for $221 million, more than twice as much as they received. Additional funding will come from dirty truck fees, which both ports are due to begin collecting October 1.
In order to work out how to collect these fees and implement other details of the complex truck program, the ports and local marine terminal operators need permission from the federal government to meet without triggering action under anti-trust restrictions. The ports applied for this permission some time ago, but the Federal Maritime Commission asked a number of follow-up questions before agreeing. The ports and marine terminal operators last week answered those questions, but it is uncertain whether the groups have yet been cleared to meet.
Notwithstanding these procedural concerns, there are exciting developments in the world of clean truck technology. Last Friday the Port of Los Angeles premiered the first of its all-electric drayage trucks (pictured above). Happily, the trucks are being provided locally, by Santa Ana-based Balqon Corporation. The port’s initial order is for 20 trucks to be used within port terminals and five to be used for short-haul drayage outside the port. Balqon intends to set up its manufacturing facility in the City of Los Angeles, providing local “green-collar” technology jobs. The all-electric trucks are zero-emission and, reportedly, quiet compared to standard diesel trucks. Development of the trucks was funded jointly by the Port of Los Angeles and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Also, the Cunningham Report reports that eight new drayage trucks fueled by liquefied natural gas – a cleaner-burning alternative to diesel fuel – are now entering port drayage service with Total Transportation Services, Inc. These trucks are the first of an anticipated port-dedicated fleet of 117 LNG-fueled trucks.
Last Friday FuturePorts and 200 guests discussed whether we are making progress on port air quality. The answer is clearly “yes” – the refined question is, are we making sufficient progress on port air quality? That’s a question on which we don’t currently have consensus, but there was widespread interest in continuing to track port air quality progress by making the seminar an annual event. With all the actions anticipated over the next year, there should be substantial additional progress to report.