The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are proposing a three-year incentive program that would pay operators of qualifying zero-emission trucks a $60 per container terminal visit, up to $36,000 per truck annually. The Zero-Emission Truck Rewards Incentive Program, known as ZE-TRIP, is intended to help offset operating costs and encourage greater use of trucks already serving the ports. The guidelines remain in draft form.
For boaters, the proposal is one part of a wider effort to reduce emissions around the harbor. In 2022, the California Air Resources Board approved separate amendments to its Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation. Those rules address vessels operating near the coast, including tugboats, ferries, and commercial passenger fishing vessels. They call for zero-emission options where feasible and cleaner engines on other craft, with requirements phased in by vessel category.
The truck proposal would pay for qualifying trips through container terminals; it would not provide an incentive to harbor craft operators. The connection is the air-quality goal shared by the two efforts: reducing pollution from both landside cargo movement and vessels working in and around California harbors. CARB’s 2022 amendments established the first engine-emission requirements for commercial passenger fishing vessels, among other craft, making that side of the transition relevant to The Log’s sportfishing readers.
The ports will hold a virtual public meeting on ZE-TRIP from 10:00 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Comments on the draft guidelines are due by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, through the online form or at [email protected].
