SoCal ocean cargo gateways take the Green initiative

Southern California ports are leading the way on the “clean trucks” front, too, as the International Association of Ports and Harbours seeks to establish new global standards for drayage. Logistics Management will participate in the panel at “Developments in Trucking Logistics,” featuring J. Christopher Lytle, executive director for the Port of Long Beach at the upcoming IAPH confab.

In a precedent-setting move made last month, The South Coast Air Quality Management District approved contracts for a zero emissions truck demonstration project along a one-mile stretch of Alameda Street leading out of the Port of Long Beach.

While The project will take about three years to complete and cost approximately $16 million, it may demonstrate the viability of transporting goods using zero emissions trucks and provide a starting point for a future zero emissions transportation corridor out of the port.

The project will use hybrid catenary trucks — trucks that run along an overhead system of electrical wires but also are able to run on either diesel, compressed natural gas or a battery system. This, say experts, eliminates diesel emissions while the trucks are connected to the electrical system but allows them to travel outside the system to haul freight.

Diesel emissions are the source of large amounts of air pollution in and around both ports. Los Angeles and Long Beach comprise the largest marine port complex in North America as well as the No. 1-emitting facility in the Southland. But the existing voluntary emission reduction commitments for nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and PM2.5 in their Clean Air Action Plan may be adopted by other ocean cargo gateways worldwide.