November 04, 2009
Long Beach Announces Changes to the Clean Truck Program

The Port of Long Beach has announced that effective November 15, 2009, only importers and exporters using older, more polluting trucks will be required to pre-pay Clean Truck Fees.  The new policy is intended to eliminate extra processing costs for those using complying vehicles.  Originally intended to start November 1, the effective date was postponed two weeks in order to coordinate efforts better with the neighboring Port of Los Angeles, which has also changed its pre-pay policy.

The Clean Truck Program is aimed at replacing older, dirtier vehicles with clean trucks in an effort to reduce air pollution by 80% by 2012.  Currently, the program requires all cargo owners (or their agents) to guarantee payment of the Clean Truck Fee by logging onto a service bureau website; the cargo owners are later billed the fee if a non-compliant truck is used.  Cargo owners claim the pre-payment process unnecessarily results in extra costs and administrative burdens. 

FedEx Trade Networks recommends that customers check with their transportation providers regarding their vehicles’ compliance with the Clean Truck Program.  Some local trucking companies use a mixture of compliant and non-compliant trucks.  If that is the case, customers are advised to continue to claim all containers in advance in order to avoid delays and possible charges when non-compliant trucks are used.  If the carriers use only compliant trucks, customers should contact their FedEx Trade Networks service representative so their profiles can be updated and their containers will not be flagged.

Customers whose freight moves via intermodal rail service or steamship line door delivery are advised to continue to claim all containers in advance, unless the carrier guarantees the use of compliant trucks in all cases.  Otherwise, the cargo may be subject to delays.  Customers should contact FedEx Trade Networks if containers for their shipments no longer need to be flagged.

The Port of Long Beach News Release regarding this change can be found at the following URL:
http://www.polb.com/news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=627&TargetID=1,17,7

An earlier FedEx Trade Networks Bulletin on this subject can be found at:
http://ftn.fedex.com/news/NewsBulletinDisplay.jsp?url=091709&lang=en

For more information, please contact your local FedEx Trade Networks Transport & Brokerage office. For a complete list of office locations go to http://www.ftn.fedex.com/locations/index.html.