New Clean Truck Fee at Ports of LA/LB Could Take Effect in Second Half 2021

A new fee on cargo passing through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach may start in the second half of 2021, a Port of Los Angeles spokesperson said, citing remarks from port staff at a Jan. 27 meeting. But each port’s harbor commission will need to vote to approve a start date for the Clean Truck Fund rate before the fee begins, the spokesperson said. Approved in March 2020, the fee will be assessed at $10 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) -- to be paid by the beneficial cargo owner -- for loaded containers hauled by heavy-duty trucks that enter or exit port terminals. The fee is intended to incentivize adoption of zero emissions trucks, which will be exempt from the fee. The ports are also considering exemptions for low nitrogen oxide trucks. Implementation of the fee has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the spokesperson said.