California enacted the most aggressive heavy-duty truck regulations in the nation, and thousands of semis could be sidelined starting in 2023, exacerbating West Coast ports’ inability to keep pace with imports.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) reportedly requires all semi-trucks pulling containers and loads from ports to possess engines made in 2010 or newer, as of Jan. 1. The reasoning behind the ban on older truck engines involves the level of carbon emissions of tractors. That means truckers with 2009 and early rigs will effectively be sidelined from port work in a matter of months.
“Twenty-three percent of current cargo volumes are handled by trucks that have 2007 through 2009 engines, which will be required at the end of this year to turn over to at least a 2014 truck model year standard here in (the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach),” Matt Schrap, CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association, reportedly said. “Of total trucks in service, it’s just around 5,000 vehicles that are registered to do business here, and those active vehicles, right around 3,500 to 3,600. Suffice to say, removing a quarter of the capacity from the system could have profound impacts on our ability to get business done and move those boxes up the dock.”
Both the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports garnered splashy headlines in 2021 as more than 110 vessels were anchored offshore, unable to dock due to an unprecedented bottleneck. Although the logjammed California ports have reduced wait times, it’s become commonplace for cargo vessels to experience lengthy delays. The Golden State’s congested ports have resulted in trade route and logistical changes. Importers have shifted to the Gulf of Mexico and East Coast ports to avoid systemic problems.
The 2023 mandate would be followed by another wave of diesel truck restrictions in 2024. CARB rules indicate all trucks will be required to start shifting to zero emissions. By 2035, only zero-emission — primarily battery-electric vehicles — would be allowed to haul goods and materials from ports. Compounding the problem California — like every other state — lacks the charging infrastructure to accommodate the number of heavy-duty trucks or passenger vehicles.
“We do not see a robust infrastructure rollout happening by that date, and so many members, as well as larger motor carriers throughout the country who do business here in California, are concerned about this,” Schrap reportedly said.
According to the California Energy Commission, only 1,943 zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles are registered in the state as of July 2022. The numbers break down to 1,369 buses, 306 trucks, and 268 delivery vans. There were more than 14 million automobiles registered in California alone in 2020. And even if the state manages to build the necessary recharging facilities, electric truck technology has a maximum range of 300 to 500 miles.
Sources:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/196010/total-number-of-registered-automobiles-in-the-us-by-state/
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