Ports of LA and Long Beach win sustainability award

The Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have received an award from

Truck Fund (CTF) initiative.

The programme helps fund and incentivise the changeover to cleaner trucks

serving the San Pedro Bay port complex, and is part of the ports’ broader

efforts to achieve zero-emissions drayage trucking by 2035.

Created to help accelerate the development of zero-emission (ZE)

technology, the CTF collects a rate of $10 per TEU on loaded import and export

cargo containers hauled by drayage trucks as they enter or leave container

terminals. Rate collection began in April 2022.

Through its first 24 months at the two ports, the CTF collected a total of

$153.7 million, funds which are being allocated to support incentives for the

purchase of ZE drayage trucks and related charging infrastructure.

The CTF programme builds on the ports’ original Clean Truck Program

approved in 2008, which mandated the phase-out of older, more polluting trucks

serving the San Pedro Bay port complex. Since that time, air pollution from

trucks at the complex is down more than 90 per cent.

“The communities of Southern California deserve the cleanest fleet of

drayage trucks in the world, and the San Pedro Bay ports are committed to that

goal,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Bobby Olvera Jr.

“We thank the Southern California Association of Governments for

recogniSing the ports’ noteworthy efforts to transition to zero-emissions

trucks.”

“The Clean Truck Fund allows the ports to move forward aggressively to

decarbonise goods movement, by financially supporting the purchase of cleaner

trucks and creation of the supporting infrastructure,” said Port of Long Beach

CEO Mario Cordero.

“As we bring clean air benefits throughout the region, we’re grateful for

this honor from SCAG.”

Moreover, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director, Gene Seroka, said: “We

appreciate the recognition of our efforts to incentivize zero-emission truck

manufacturing, as well as support trucking companies’ transition from diesel to

cleaner technologies.

“Together with private industry, we are working to help make these future

trucks commercially available and affordable.”

Just recently, the Port of Los Angeles and the California Department of

Transportation (Caltrans) announced it will begin construction on a $130 million

transportation project.