Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach officials have already crafted a plan to carve up the $90 million in anticipated revenue they’ll secure by leveeing the Clean Trucks fee that went into effect on April Fool’s Day.
“Our two ports have set a high bar for getting clean trucks on our streets, and this spending plan and its incentives will help accelerate that transition,” Los Angeles Harbor Commission president Jaime Lee reportedly said. “We are the only port complex in the nation that is driving a changeover to cleaner trucks and broader zero-emission drayage truck technology commercialization to this magnitude.”
The country’s two largest ports have implemented a $10 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) fee on loaded import and export containers that are transported on drayage trucks. Fees will be assessed electronically as containers move in and out of the terminal. Revenue reportedly will be funneled into a so-called Clean Truck Fund attached to a policy of achieving zero-emissions drayage trucking by 2035 at both ports. Officials anticipate the first year of revenue will exceed $90 million, and the program requires $10 billion to achieve its long-term goals. Recent hearings resulted in port commissioners articulating immediate spending priorities that include the following.
- A truck incentive program that provides purchase vouchers of at least $150,000 to carriers registered with the port complex.
- An infrastructure funding to create charging and fueling points.
A combined 20,000 drayage trucks are registered with the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach. For owner-operators and fleet outfits to secure an exemption, they must use a zero-emission commercial motor vehicle to haul containers. The California Air Resources Board recently approved a tax incentive of $120,000 for truckers who purchase Nikola Tre BEV. However, zero-emissions rigs prove impractical with ranges of 350 miles or less. And the semiconductor shortage and supply chains snarls have exacerbated zero-emission Class 8 truck production.
“Although you can purchase them now, you have no idea when they will be delivered. We’re told it could be as long as 18 months,” Port of Long Beach Commissioner Sharon Weissman reportedly said.
Rising costs of new and pre-used Class 8 trucks have spiked during the last year. Consumer data indicates that the average cost of a used Class 8 truck rose by 83 percent in January and exceeded $88,000. An additional cost challenge for freight carriers involves the price tag of new zero-emissions trucks. Although California doles out significant incentives, a new electric truck runs upwards of $400,000. These factors are effectively pricing owner-operators and freight carriers out of the Clean Truck fee exemption.
Sources: dailybreeze.com, portoflosangeles.com, ttnews.com
That’s why these ports are all backed up. California has this magic dream that charging fees are gonna magically make something happen. People just need to quit using this two ports and move the stuff to others to be off loaded. Problem solved. They can get their $90 million from their magic checkbook Just like a toll road is illegal to be the ONLY route available there also has to be a legitimate way to avoid the fees and it just isn’t possible with trucks not available for immediate purchase and use.
Every truck driver and truck company should just say “No” to any form of driving in the state of California until it comes to its knees. The idiots that vote for democrats, which is the majority of California, just don’t seem to have one ounce of empathy or respect for truckers or the service they provide. If it can be taxed, California will find a way to tax it. ‘Nuff said.
CA will never stop in its neverending attempt to kill the trucking industry under the guise of cleaner air and saving the planet. More ships need to go to Texas and Florida ports and cut CA out of the picture as much as possible.
Of course it’s based on anticipated revenue. Fantasy numbers. It’s the way governments operate. Of course 1 to 5 truck operations won’t be able to acquire the money as they can’t tie up the balance for 18 or more months. Money will funnel to companies like XPO and JB. It’s the same old thing
We avoid all loads in and out of California;)
Why stop at just moving freight to third-world states in the South? Move it all to Mexico and let Mexican truckers bring it up. Their pollution, low pay, lack of regulations and lack of any benefits should make you dummies real happy.
I suggest that you smart businessmen step up from the trucking biz and buy lawnmowers weed whackers and blowers. And keep voting for Republicans, the ones you read about helping the working men and women.
Oh, you can’t read?
That’s democrats, enact a shakedown fee and in less than two weeks they already have plans on how to spend money they don’t have yet.
Anyone stupid enough to haul in or out of these ports deserves everything these idiots are doing to you. It’s long past time to grow a backbone, let your testicles drop, and strike on these ports until the left wing mafia backs off.