In an effort to achieve a zero-emissions future for ports by 2035, the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles are set to launch the Clean Truck Fund Rate which will charge cargo owners for containers delivered by non-zero-emission vehicles.

The imposition of the CTF rate is expected to generate $90 million in the first year. According to MuniCredit News:

The two ports began to charge a Clean Truck Fund Rate fee on cargo using the port which is not transported on zero-emission vehicles. Cargo that is not being transported on zero-emission vehicles is subject to the tariff, which is $10 per 20-foot-equivalent unit—the standard measurement for shipped cargo—and $20 for every container that is larger than that.

The fee is charged to the companies that own the shipments. The ports expect to generate $90 million in the first 12 months from these fees. The revenues will be used to fund purchases of emission-free trucks. Natural gas-powered trucks that emit low amounts of nitrogen oxides—also known as low NOx trucks—are exempted from the fee.

Each of the ports will levy slightly different fees. For the Port of Long Beach, exemptions will last until either Dec. 31, 2034 or Dec. 31, 2037, depending on when the vehicle was purchased and registered with the Port Drayage Truck Registry. The Port of Los Angeles will sunset its exemption on Dec. 31, 2027.

In addition, Port of Long Beach highlighted:

Phasing out older, more polluting trucks has been key to clean air gains the San Pedro Bay ports have made since the original Clean Truck programs were launched in 2008. Diesel emissions from trucks have been cut by as much as 97% compared to 2005 levels. Trucks remain the ports’ largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and the second-highest source of nitrogen oxides, a contributor to regional smog formation.