Port of Seattle Rolls Out Truck Emissions Rules

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All trucks hauling freight from the Port of Seattle must have engines from 1994 or later, under rules in effect from January 1 of this year.

All drayage trucks – short-haul vehicles that carry goods between ports, docks and rail yards – must now adhere to the port’s Clean Truck Program in order to enter cargo terminals. They must be registered with the port and display a “green gateway” sticker.

Trucks with engines older than model-year 1994 may be eligible for a $5,000 incentive from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

The port said nearly all trucks have complied, and terminals have not had any unusual back-ups since the program debuted.

So far, almost 6,000 trucks and over 1,100 truck owners have registered in the port’s Drayage Truck Registry, and 269 trucks have been scrapped.

A joint strategy between the ports of Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver, B.C. agreed to cut truck emissions to the level of 1994-model engines by 2010.

They have agreed that by 2015, 80 percent of heavy-duty drayage trucks will have the emissions level of 2007 or newer models. This increases to 100 percent by 2017.

Other ports that have banned older trucks include the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey  and the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland.

Correction: January 10, 2010 An earlier version of this article mistakenly said "engines from 1994 or earlier" in paragraph one. This has now been corrected.

Environment + Energy Leader