A new bill has been proposed by the Washington D.C. City Council that would effectively ban commercial trucks from driving in the city. This ban would result from part of Mayor Vincent Gray’s Sustainable DC Plan which hopes to turn D.C. into the “healthiest, greenest, most livable city in the nation over the next 20 years.”
While there isn’t anywhere in the bill that specifically states that trucks may not be driven in the city, that is the possibly unintended result of certain parts of the plan. If enacted, Sustainable D.C. Omnibus Act of 2013 will ban the registration of any new diesel-powered vehicle starting in 2017. The goal is presumably to force trucks in the D.C. area to switch to natural gas or other greener alternatives, thereby improving the air quality in D.C.
According to several state and national groups – including the ATA, the Maryland Motor Truck Association, and the Virginia Trucking Association – who are opposed to the new legislation, the actual result from such a bill would be very different from the intended objective.
A letter to the D.C. Council Chairman from the groups stated that the bill would end up having an overwhelmingly negative effect on the D.C. area. Since the bill would not prohibit older diesel trucks from driving in D.C., the result would be that older, less efficient trucks would be used by local companies for much longer than they otherwise would have. In addition, any carrier who had an updated fleet wouldn’t be able to deliver goods to D.C., ensuring that only the fleets with the oldest (and presumably dirtiest and least safe) trucks would be able to drive in D.C.
“Although many motor carriers are considering whether natural gas or other alternative fuels are suitable for their operations, it will be many years – far longer than 2018 – before a significant portion of the commercial vehicle population of this country will be other than diesel vehicles,” said the letter.
The bill could even increase congestion on the roads of the city that is already plagued with heavy traffic. According to Bob Pitcher, the VP of State Laws for the ATA, the bill may also result in shippers “[choosing] to receive smaller, more frequent deliveries in smaller gasoline-powered vehicles – many, many gasoline-powered vehicles to add to one of the nation’s already most congested cities.”
Next Story: Diesel Prices To Fall In 2014
Source: fleetowner, dc
Oh noez!!! whatever will I do now that I can’t take my nasty truck into D.C. Oh right, laugh like crazy when they have to drive to VA for food and toilet paper. Good move Washington, I hope NYC, Chicago, and LA follow suit.
I agree
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Maybe we should stop delivering to DC now!
Thank GOD no more D.C. It’s about time these politicians get a dose of reality. Sorry people of D.C. you have to drive to VA. or MD. to get your food and everything else because your City doesn’t like us truckers. I agree Joe I whould just hate it if CA, did the same thing. I’d kick in for that party NO MORE L.A. Let the PARTY begin
Doesn’t make much sense. With DEF and all the latest environmental improvements diesels have become pretty clean.
That’s what I was thinking
My late model truck has 500K on the clock, and the inside of the stack is still silver. DEF cuts down the NOx and the DPF cuts out a gigantic amount of the particulates. What do they want, a truck that farts a cloud of oxygen and rose petals?
AND late model diesel engines burn CLEANER than today’s gasoline powered motor… SO they want to fill their roads with MORE gasoline powered vehicles? Let ’em, if they decide they don’t want/ need big trucks in their city, good, save the truckers the trouble and let the city boys and gals go fetch their own clothes/food/electronics/whatever else big trucks haul… We have better things to do than sit in DC traffic.
I expected nothing less than a pile of ignorant lunacy, such as what I just read above, from our nation’s capital. Kudos to the penners of this bill, you just proved, to a handful of truckers, some of whom may not have realized it prior, just how non-forward thinking and backwards asked you really are down there. Good luck with that bill, and becoming the laughing stock worldwide.
Receivers would have to move operations to VA or MD and transload product to smaller trucks in order to do local deliveries. Adds cost to the retail end and limits the products available to the consumer. OTR carriers are not going to spend the money to partially update their fleets to accomodate DC, they’ll just choose to not haul loads there.
DC is not a major market for most retailers. Look for those there to abandon that market for nearby areas.
GOOD LUCK ON THAT STEPHEN
Great…then Washington DC won’t get anything delivered to it and we can all watch it slowly degrade back to the stone age where it belongs.
good luck with that .. they may be the greenest .. but they will have no products delivered to there city after all the company’s stop delivering to them .. lol .
or rather yet .. go ahead .. ban it .. then we can charge 1000% inflated prices for your deliveries .
lol … our gov has turned into a complete JOKE ..
we need to take back control of this crap before its to late .
I think. It is already too late !!
NO COMPANY WILL STOP DEL.TO THEM NOR WILL THEY RAISE THERE PRICES. YOU CAN REST EASY THOUGH BECAUSE IT WILL COME OUT OFF YOUR POCKET CAUSE YOU ALREADY MAKE WAY TO MUCH MONEY
most of the new trucks do burn clean but there are the majority that the smell is objectional most of the garbage trucks running natural gas and have no smell or noise very quiet .I have a problem with most of the delivery trucks that are small and are diesels they are the worst offenders and all the newer diesel pickups running around with modified exhaust systems the are worse than new lot of black smoke and too much noise alot of them have the soot restrictors removed .I thought this was illegal to remove them such as a cat convertor on a car is illegal to remove it. this is objectional because it causes more pollution and noise and modification should be prohibited by law and state inspection should be mandated to fine those vehicles that void the pollution laws by EPA that are subject to the laws and pending fines for violations.. that result in illegal exhaust mods and illegal engine modifications to engine systems….. chicago also needs to go green
I say help them out now and refuse too haul anything in or out of the city. Why don’t they stop all cars from travelling inside of the city
I think this is a great idea, nothing will get delivered to D.C. and all the politicians will starve to death
good point !!!!!!!!!!!! hey let them pick their crap up outside the city. doesnt bother me. less bull shit i have to put up with. “same pay less traffic” sounds like a winner.
Leave it to some buricrat to not understand where he or she gets there stuff well I say ok no problem, lets just see how they do when they have to travel outside of DC to get there food and other ammenities, or have to pay a small fortune for even the cheapest products. The funny thing is they blame deisels for their air quality, there are still twenty cars to one truck on the road there at any given point in time that are worse than trucks as far as emissions their allowed particale rate is much higher than a trucks. So I have to say it again good keep me out of there don’t want to go there and feed them anyway!
I think this is a superb idea! Lets start with all the carriers hauling toilet paper into the district of corruption.
Once again a prime example of the age-old adage. “Those who can do, those who can’t teach, and those who can’t DO ANYTHING GOVERN!” The People get the government they deserve. Everytime people say “gee! wouldn’t it be great if… or there ought to be a law… !” Some well-intended but ignorant and ,likely, incompetent legislative official hears that and decides to try and fix it, usually without understanding the unintended consequences. Personally, I think it’s a great idea to get big trucks out of D.C.. Frankly, most major cities should model London, England and by primarily pedestrian and public transit. Bulk freight and personal vehicles should be relegated to outlying areas and utilize shuttle truck or tram and public bus and railway. Just like Single-source healthcare, those methods are being used by every other major industrial power in the world. And guess what! Those systems work much better for efficiency and the greater good than our systems. I am a born American, but I am continually vexed by the growing incompetence and lack of motivation to improve ourselves by most Americans. We’re supposed to be the innovaters, but the only way to innovate is to first understand that things CAN BE DONE BETTER.
Hey John why don’t ya move to London or where ever if their way is so GREAT, would make more sense for THE GREATER GOOD of the rest of US, just a thought, trying to help solve YOUR problem & ours at the same time!
I could go off in so many directions here, but, I’m in a good mood today. This is perfect! When I was an OTR driver and under forced dispatch, I made plenty of deliveries and pick-ups in this crazy city (Boston and Baltimore as well). I would have preferred to stay out and deal with a DC’s on the outskirts. Makes more sense anyway . . . Doesn’t it!? I hope other big cities do the same thing.
sounds good to me …. i hate going into the DC area and NY anyway. let them come out to the outskirts and pick up their crap with shopping buggies.
I don’t see anywhere that it specifically bans diesel truck registrations either, just diesel registrations. So now you’re going to be telling people they can’t own their 50mpg diesel Volkswagen anymore? They’ll have to settle for a less efficient gas engine? Wow government needs to just step away because they spoil everything they touch.
No, this is not to be “green”..this is to simply stop truckers from protesting in the capitol.
Bingo, you hit the nail on the head!
So when was the last time truckers protested in the capitol?
Month or so ago. Large number deove the beltway (I think) and traffic was FUBAR. :). Wish I’d have been there
If he wants to clean up DC he should ban all politicians!
I think this should go unchallenged. Just to show how misinformed and narrow sighted the Washington D.C city council is. As well as watch the price of everything double.
I think its a great ideal. Do it in all the big City’s. Fix drop off spots away from the city’s that we can unload at. That or let them starve.
Sounds to me that JB or some of these big company’s are behind this. If there the only ones with the natural gas trucks. Guess who gets all the loads? You got it the fleets with more trucks and the (giverment) is giving them every tax break. Along with cheaper fuel then everyone else. For my Part DC YNC and the whole state of CA could do without. The hate trucks to much, but what would they do without them.
DC made me deliver some stuff by Taxi in 1986. Yes I had to move one small drop to there City building by a Taxi. $300 for that ride as it took a big part of the day going back and forth.
It may be because the truckers drove into the capitol to protest.
Just drive upwind from DC. 🙂 Think about it. They are reporting that the pollution that China puts out is effecting our country. Pollution from mid-west is effecting trees in Smoky Mountain. So just drive upwind from DC. 🙂 If they are that concern, than they should ban there personal jets/airplanes. Keep Obama and his family home. This will mean that truckers are banned to rally at the White House with there trucks. Who keeps voting/nominating these people into these positions? Have we American become that week, stupid and gullible? These people are a disgrace to our education system. A comedians job is made so easy today. Just pick someone who is in office and simply talk about it.
The mayor suggesting this plan will change his tune in a hurry when he realizes it doesn’t line up with reality. When his constituents don’t have basic necessities and ring his phone of the hook as a result he’ll be doing the back pedal on this one really quick.
Good idea!! Everything to be delivered there should be carried on dump trailers. Just get near enough to the city and let her rip. Just think, no unloading by drivers or hiring lumpers.
Works for me!!! Can someone give me a phone number in D.C. that I can call to have them come to VA and pick up their stuff?
That’s the funniest thing I have read all day. It will be interesting to see the resultant logistic headaches for the local grocers, gas stations, paper peddlers, etc., when they are essentially cut off from civilization. I suppose they have Diesel busses also. LOL Maybe they can build a giant warehouse to rceive SOME of the stuff and piss-ant it with wagons or hand-trucks (Mexican Diesels)run by illegal aliens into town.
Never forget…they need us…we don’t need them!
Hope you don’ t need any medical supplies or food or gas or groceries. We can just drop it at the city limits on the side of the road and ya’ll can take your dumb butts out there and pick it up. Works for me.
Aside from the fact that NOT going there would be a God send!!
It’s like what? The wind from neighboring states doesn’t blow into and through DC?? I guess they’re finally ready to deploy the “force field bubble” over DC now…LOL
I always enjoy a good laugh. DC never disappoints!! LOL
The one thing they overlooked in the language of the bill is that it will also prohibit diesel powered cars and pickups. That means the senators and rich folks who like their diesel powered Mercedes cars will have to switch to gas burners or AFV’s as well, and everyone who owns a pickup and is wanting to buy a new one with a diesel engine will have to either move out of the city or stick with the gas version. Smooth move, Mr Mayor and City Council, piss off the people who put you in office in the first place.
They want to clear the AIR?
Get rid of the politicians first.
When I can’t bring all your entertainment concerts in town all your trade shows etc…… then your city will be broke no entertainment concerts no revenue.
OI think this will be the only truck banning the American trucker will ever be excited to support!!!!
If they want that to happen then let it happen and they will NOT get anything what so ever in DC.,and I do mean NOTHING at all.It would and will cost them alot just to get there things. IF DC want there living foods,gas,and what ever else they just need to leave us alone and back away from all them Regulations and also put our HOS back the way it was:No Clock,NO 30 min break,no 1-5 breaks of two just to get our 34 restart.Lets see what happens when they don’t get things they need if they do that .
is there a Petition site to stop this , its stupid it takes more fuel to run a gas truck and haul a truck that size than diesel so how does that save the environment causing more pollution to haul the same truck and weight .
Washington is just full of great ideas and another good idea would be to improve parking at truck stops by banning the parking of big rigs due to pollution. Anybody out there want to buy a bridge in Brooklyn … cheap?
Does this have anything to do with the failed truck convoy to DC? Maybe their thinking ahead because of all the crap getting ready to dump on the country. You can’t trust a den of snakes.
GOOD LUCK STEPHEN WITH YOUR THOUGHT ON WHAT THE CARRIERS WILL DO. THEY HAVEN’T COME UP WITH A WAY TO PAY USE FOR WHAT WE DO NOW SO I SUPPECT IT WILL COME OUT OFF OUR POCKETS NOT ANYBODY ELSES.
Well, to all uneducated truck drivers out there that believe DC will run out of food, gas etc… , I will just say, do what you do best speed and tailgate around dc like you always do. Its only going to make regulation worse.
This bill is an attempt to curb diesel traffic and is not targetted to OTR drivers specifically but to the thousands of local delivery trucks that are not subject to the same emissions than class8 trucks.
But like a good truck driver, there is always something to complain about. Progress is one of them based on the comments below.
There is plenty of trucks converted to natural gas that can haul the loads to dc for the exact same price than a diesel truck.
There is a lot of warehouses around , ready to accomodate the extra loads.
The only foolish thing is to deny their wish of beeing green, someone else will make money out of this.
Good shot Mayor Vincent Gray, but when you gonna pass that joint down here! Don’t hog it up, sir!
hey look, we tried banning obama from DC and what did it get us?
I don’t want to manage my life by oil companies
Oil and the price of everything is related to it
and it’s a scam
Gasoline is way more expensive then procesing a disel fuel but you know how much it cost, yes ,they know , truckers need it not for fun but for income
If cities will look for banning a trucks , market will open new fuels because is hard to belive that Man will land on Mars soon and we are still using engines on the base of technology from 19 century