Truth About Clean Trucks Program Revealed

Today's Long Beach Press-Telegram editorial, "The truth about Clean Trucks," has a message for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, "It's time to stop maligning and misleading, and get on with banning dirty diesels."

The editorial board agrees with ATA Vice President of Public Affairs Clayton Boyce's comments: "The head publicist for the American Trucking Associations has taken on L.A. politicians and port officials for deliberately misleading the press and the public about a Clean Trucks program designed to cut diesel pollution. And he is absolutely right."

"The biggest issue [in the lawsuit] is that L.A. tried to ban independent owner-operators, obviously at the request of the Teamsters Union, which would benefit hugely if it could narrow the competition down to few big companies, then set out to organize them," said the editorial.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District ruled unanimously March 20 that the owner-operator ban was an unconstitutional interference in interstate trade and also noted that ATA does not oppose the environmental components of the Ports' regulations.

"The process now is headed toward a constructive solution," said the editorial. "It would be wise for all sides of this fight to shift the rhetoric to solutions. That would include the National Resources Defense Council, which still is saying that the court case could threaten the Clean Trucks program, when in fact the Appeals Court ruling suggests the opposite," said the editorial.

ATA's lawsuit successfully challenged the Port of Los Angeles' concession requirement that would have led to a complete ban of independent owner-operator drivers from servicing that port's operations within five years. And other provisions in Los Angeles' and Long Beach's concession plans that limited off-street parking, required unnecessary financial disclosures, and placed regulations on driver hiring practices that did nothing to improve the environment or safety conditions at the ports.

ATA supports the Ports' mandatory truck-retirement program within the Clean Trucks Program that will result in vehicles with higher emission levels being phased out of Port operations and the Drayage Truck Registry provisions which will allow the Ports to monitor compliance with the retirement mandate and also support security goals. ATA also supports the container fee which will raise revenue to help more quickly replace older, higher polluting trucks which again advances the Ports' environmental agenda.