JANUARY 1, 2010 TRUCK RESTRICTIONS WILL BRING MORE CLEAN TRUCKS TO PORT OF LOS ANGELES, CONTINUE TO REDUCE HARMFUL AIR EMISSIONS

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — December 4, 2009 —  The next phase of the successful Clean Truck Program at the Port of Los Angeles takes effect January 1, 2010, when trucks equipped with engine model years 1993 and older will be banned from the Port. Additionally, trucks equipped with engine model years 1994 to 2003 also will be denied terminal access unless retrofitted with an approved diesel emission control system. The restrictions coincide with similar regulations to take effect at all ports and rail yards in California, established by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).  The statewide restrictions will also ban trucks with engine model years 1993 and older, and will require retrofits on trucks equipped with engine model years 1994 to 2003.

Already there are approximately 5,100 newer and cleaner trucks at the Port and on the surrounding freeways as a result of the Clean Truck Program. These trucks are presently making nearly 66 percent of the cargo container pick-ups and drop-offs at the Port of Los Angeles – a number that is expected to increase to more than 90 percent in early 2010. By spring, Port officials estimate that there will be between 6,500 and 7,000 trucks serving the ports that meet or exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) 2007 heavy duty truck emissions standards. These “clean trucks” that replace the older, dirtier models generate substantially lower emissions because of government regulations to build cleaner engines.

“Since the start of the Clean Truck Program on October 1, 2008, we have reduced port truck air emissions about 70 percent compared to 2007 fleet average air emissions data,” said Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. “With this next level of truck enforcement, which is consistent with state regulations at all California ports and rail yard operations, we expect to quickly reach an 80 percent reduction in emissions.   That gets us to our clean air goal two years ahead of schedule, which allows everyone to breathe easier.”

The Clean Truck Program is a critical environmental initiative. Studies by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) and CARB have concluded that the more than 2 million people who live near the port of Los Angeles and Long Beach face greater health risks than those who live elsewhere in the region.

Since the Clean Truck Program’s inception, more than $150 million in grants and incentives to replace outdated trucks have been offered from sources including the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, CARB, Proposition 1B and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

To date, the truck fleet transformation at the ports have eliminated roughly 30 tons of diesel particulate matter, a figure comparable to removing the particulate matter emissions of about 200,000 automobiles from our regional freeways over the course of one year.

Licensed Motor Carriers and Independent Owner Operators have been preparing for the January 1, 2010 statewide regulations for more than a year. On January 1, 2012, only trucks equipped with engine Model Years 2007 and newer will have access to terminals.

For more information on the Clean Truck Program:

• Visit the Port’s website at /references/idx_ctp
• Call the Clean Trucks Program Help Line - (866) 721 - 5686
• Contact the Clean Trucks Center - 888-KLN-TRUX (888-556-8789)