Cleaning Up Trucks at California Ports Clears the Air and Improves Truckers' Lives

By Rafael Pizarro
Senior Campaign Associate
Coalition for Clean Air

Those of us who’ve worked on port and freight transport pollution issues couldn’t help but also note the terrible conditions of the port truck drivers. A New Yorker article famously referred to the vehicles they drive as “sweatshops on wheels.” While we are naturally concerned for the lives of the truckers and their families, we also know that it is these conditions that keep drivers from being able to have and maintain trucks with cleaner emissions. Port truckers, who often make no more than $25,000 a year, can’t afford to upgrade their trucks or buy cleaner models.

That’s why I have been actively involved in developing a new proposal, now being considered by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which I believe is the best solution to reduce diesel pollution, streamline port trucking operations and improve the condition of truck drivers.

The proposal was developed at several meetings of the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports (CCSP) . The Los Angeles Alliance of a New Economy took the lead to divide labor, environmental and community advocates into teams which each wrote sections of the plan. I joined the steering committee of the coalition, along with Adriano Martinez of the NRDC, Tom Politeo of the Sierra Club, Elina Green of the Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma, and representatives of immigrant rights groups, faith-based groups and, of course, labor unions.

What emerged is a trucking proposal with one important unifying principle: that the ports can and should use their authority to set standards for air quality, the environment and labor relations by entering into contractual arrangements with shippers. These contracts would be similar to the way airports handle concessions for restaurants, bookstores, taxi services, etc.

This plan would require that the ports request proposals from all trucking firms that want to work at the harbor. The trucking companies would be required to provide information about their trucks’ emissions and noise, labor relations, workers’ employment status and business experience. The companies that win a contract would pay a fee and the fee would fund the truck proposal program and subsidies for smaller trucking companies.

Comments

Posted by: Trucking Exec at April 4, 2007 10:50 AM

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