The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles announced that it will begin collecting a rate of US$10 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) on loaded import and export cargo containers hauled by drayage trucks as they enter or leave container terminals starting April 1.

The San Pedro Bay Ports said the "Clean Truck Fund" (CTF) rate was created to help fund and incentivize the changeover to cleaner trucks.

It will also generate up to US$90 million in the first year to accelerate the development of zero-emissions technology.

North America's two busiest ports have set an industry-leading goal to achieve zero-emissions drayage trucking by 2035.

In its announcement, Port of LA and Long Beach said exemptions to the CTF rate will be initially provided for containers hauled by zero-emission trucks and low-nitrogen oxide-emitting (low-NOx) trucks. 

To receive the exemption when the rate collection begins on April 1, the ports noted that all such trucks must be registered as low-NOx or zero-emission in the Port Drayage Truck Registry and complete a one-time vehicle confirmation inspection.

"Vehicle confirmation inspections will continue at the TAC on a rolling basis after April 1, 2022, as new low-NOx and zero-emission trucks are added to the registry," it added.

The ports explained that starting April 1, cargo owners or their agents must be registered in the PortCheck system to arrange to pay the CTF rate prior to pick up or drop-off. 

PortCheck is the private company tapped by both ports to collect the CTF rate.

The ports said the CTF rate web portal will be connected to the existing PierPass system starting March 21 and users of the web portal will be able to begin claiming containers and providing for advanced payment of the CTF rate on March 29.

Trucks: the largest source of port emissions

"Phasing out older, more polluting trucks has been key to clean air gains the San Pedro Bay ports have made since the original Clean Truck programs were launched in 2008," Port of LA and Long Beach said, noting that diesel emissions from trucks have been cut by as much as 97% compared to 2005 levels.

"Trucks remain the ports' largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and the second-highest source of nitrogen oxides, a contributor to regional smog formation," the ports said, adding that each port's tariff requires payment of the CTF rate by cargo owners or their authorized agents, and includes a provision prohibiting payment by drayage truck drivers or operators.  

The Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach are the two largest ports in the nation, and combined are the ninth-largest port complex in the world. The two ports handle approximately 40% of the nation’s total containerized import traffic and 25% of its total exports.