Comments on: American Trucking Association (ATA) takes ports to court over Clean Truck Proposals

By: Breaking News: Court rules against LA/Long Beach Clean Truck Program | Third Party Logistics News - 3PLwire

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:09:54 +0000

[...] ATA goes to appeals court to stop SoCal ports’ truck plans ATA takes ports to court over Clean Truck proposals [...]

By: Find Used and New Big Rig Trucks For | Best Trucking Software

Find Used and New Big Rig Trucks For | Best Trucking Software — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:46:38 +0000

[...] American Trucking Association (ATA) takes ports to court over … [...]

By: 3plwire

3plwire — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:33:26 +0000

You just argued the entire case for the ATA – that is exactly their contention: what does cleaning up the air have to do with banning owner operators from the ports and requiring them all to be employee drivers of a motor carrier? Where of course The Teamsters could get their hands on them.

This was a scheme introduced by The Teamsters working in conjunction with local environmental groups who were lobbying for various initiatives to be included into the clean air programs. The city of Los Angeles openly welcomed this requirement despite strong objection from the ATA and other groups. Since then they have stubbornly refused to mitigate this requirement and have even spent a sizable amount of money and time hiring Boston Consulting Group to woo major motor carriers to start drayage operations at the ports. So far, it seems they have not been too successful.

As you said, as long as the truck – any truck, owner operator or motor carrier owned – can upgrade their equipment to meet the new standards, then that should be the ultimate goal. Any truck that doesn’t meet those specs? Can’t pick up cargo from the port. Simple and easy.

And it’s not a question of money – all the California ports have raised container fees to help pay for their various clean air efforts, money that can be earmarked to provide funds to those truckers that are struggling financially to upgrade their trucks.

But hey, politics in California trump common sense all the time – as a resident of California, you learn to kind of expect it.

By: All Roads

All Roads — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:44:50 +0000

Interesting. should a “clean air” program worry about cleaning the air through higher equipment standards. I would think that as long as an owner operator were able to afford the truck/ equipment there wouldn’t be a problem… but I guess politicians need to blame someone for their own lack of leadership on the whole issue..

In China, I am pretty happy to say that we don’t have that barrier. Their motivations here for cleaning up come down to finding cost efficiencies through long term investment strategies. I have several logistics firms that are now looking to find ways to reduce their footprint, and that of their clients, through really forward leaning discussions.

It really is time the US catches up on these issues
R