California's Clean Fleet Rule Challenges Drayage Industry

California's Advanced Clean Fleets rule, set to take effect in six months, is already having unintended consequences for the drayage industry responsible for transporting cargo in and out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The rule mandates that any new entrant or current operator seeking access to the state's ports must use zero-emissions trucks, specifically battery-electric or hydrogen-powered trucks. This requirement has led to concerns about added equipment costs and limitations on capacity expansion.

As a result, some motor carriers are adding more diesel trucks to compensate for potential supply and demand imbalances.

Another provision of the rule, starting in February 2025, will require drayage companies to remove diesel engines manufactured from 2010 onwards from their fleets after a minimum of 13 years or up to 18 years or 800,000 miles.

Harbor Trucking Association CEO Matt Schrap criticized The California Air Resources Board (CARB) for flawed assumptions and miscalculations in implementing the regulation. CARB's emissions forecasting assumes a one-to-one replacement of diesel trucks with electric trucks, but Schrap argues that more diesel trucks will enter and remain in the system due to the restriction on fleet turnover.

He also pointed out that CARB underestimated the operational realities of the drayage industry, which involves trucks traveling from various locations across the country. Long-haul routes, such as from California's Central Valley to LA-Long Beach, cannot be completed on a single battery charge. He believes CARB's approach is driven by political expediency rather than air quality considerations.