Transport Partnership
U.b. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
A Glance at Clean Freight Strategies:
Gateway Cities Diesel Fleet Scrappage
Program for Dray age
The replacement of aging diesel trucks through the Gateway Cities Fleet Modernization Program
has resulted in emissions reductions of 193 tons of nitrogen oxides and 43 tons of particulate matter
annually in the South Coast Air Basin. The newer trucks also result in fuel savings for drivers.
Introduction
Fleet scrappage and modernization programs
pay owners of older heavily polluting trucks to
purchase newer, lower-emitting vehicles.
Drayage fleets that serve U.S. ports and border
facilities frequently use pre-1987 trucks that
predate modern emissions control systems.
These older trucks, which can remain in
operation for decades, are a primary target of
truck scrappage programs. The scrappage and
replacement of pre-1987 diesel trucks with
model year 1999 or newer trucks can result in
up to 50 percent less NOX and 90 percent less
PM being emitted. These replacement trucks
can also reduce fuel consumption and
greenhouse gas emissions associated with port
facilities.
Health Impacts
According to the MATES II Study by the South
Coast Air Quality Management District, 70
percent of cancer-linked air toxics in California's
South Coast Air Basin (SCAB) are the result of
diesel emissions. The 27 cities that make up
the Gateway Cities Council of Governments
(GCCOG) are located in and around essential
commerce centers, which rely heavily on diesel
engines of all kinds to drive the area's economy.
This subjects people living in and around the
Gateway Cities to high levels of the harmful
pollutants and air toxics found in diesel exhaust.
In 2002, the GCCOG initiated its Clean Air
Program to address the challenges posed by
diesel truck emissions at regional port facilities
and throughout SCAB. Of particular concern is
the large fleet of pre-1987 heavy diesel vehicles
in use. It is estimated that within the SCAB
there are approximately 10,000 model year
1965 - 1987 heavy-duty trucks in operation.
These vehicles severely impact air quality and
human health, especially in areas of
concentrated
diesel engine operation such as intermodal
freight facilities and port terminals.
Program Description
The Gateway Cities Diesel Fleet Modernization
Program established a target of replacing 3,000
existing heavy-duty trucks, or about one-third of
the pre-1987 truck fleet in the greater Los
Angeles area. Under the program, these pre-
1987 HDVs are retired and replaced with 1999
and newer model years.
Some of the replacement trucks are then
retrofitted with diesel oxidation catalysts
(DOCs), and other PM and NOX control devices
to further reduce emissions. Under the Fleet
Modernization Program, it is estimated that
each replacement reduces on average 0.55
tons per year of NOX and QA2 tons per year of
PM. These estimates do not include any
additional benefits resulting from retrofitting
replacement vehicles with DOCs and NOX or
PM control devices.
Since the fleet modernization program's start in
September 2002, more than 350 trucks have
been replaced, at a cost of approximately $8
million. Of these, 230 awards were made under
a special effort funded by the Port of Los
Angeles (POLA) that focuses exclusively on
truckers who frequently travel to and from POLA
facilities. Based on best available estimates,
over 5 years of program involvement, the 350
replaced vehicles can be expected to reduce
emissions by approximately 193 tons per year
of NOX and 42 tons per year of PM.
The Gateway Cities program provides an
average grant award of $25,000 toward the
purchase of a 1999 or newer replacement
vehicle. Awardees average about 45,000 miles
per year of driving, of which 85 percent must be
within SCAB boundaries. Typically, awardees
U.S. EPA Office of Transportation & Air Quality • EPA420-F-06-004 • (734) 214-4767 phone
www.epa.gov/smartwav
smartway_transport@epa.gov
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Program
Gateway Cities Fleet Modernization
finance the remaining cost of the replacement
truck (about $7,000-$10,000). At least some of
this investment can be recouped through fuel
savings that accrue through the use of a newer,
more reliable and fuel efficient truck. For the
Fleet Modernization Program, on average, the
cost effectiveness for each five-year project is
less than $9,000 per ton of NOX reduced.
Program Funding
A total of $20,634,400 in funding has been
allocated to date for the Fleet Modernization
Program. By far the largest amount of funding
comes from the Port of Los Angeles. In June
2005, the Los Angeles Board of Harbor
Commissioners voted to approve a
Memorandum of Understanding that added an
additional $4.7 million in funding to the fleet
modernization program, augmenting POLA's
original $10 million allocation. The specific
funding contributions of all four program
sponsors are shown below:
• $14,740,000 from the Port of Los Angeles
(exclusively dedicated to trucks that haul to
and from the Port of Los Angeles)
. $2,144,400 U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
• $1,000,000 California Air Resources Board
(CARB)
• $2,750,000 in funds from the Mobile Source
Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee
(MSRC), which is administered through the
South Coast Air Quality Management
District
Off-Road Program
In a second part of the Gateway Cities Clean Air
Program, the Port of Long Beach (POLB) has
taken a leadership role by facilitating efforts to
install new emissions reduction technology on
nonroad HDVs operated within POLB
boundaries. This Diesel Emissions Reduction
Program (DERP) introduces "clean diesel
technology" to port terminal operators by
retrofitting their HDVs with DOCs. These DOCs
replace standard mufflers on heavy-duty
equipment and can provide cost-effective
emissions reductions. On nearly 200 nonroad
HDVs, POLB tenants are using a California Air
Resources Board (CARB) verified DOC and
emulsified diesel fuel (a diesel-water blend)
combination that provides a 50 percent
reduction in diesel particulate matter emissions
and a 20 percent reduction in NOX emissions.
On 445 nonroad HDVs, POLB tenants are using
a CARB-verified DOC combined with a
crankcase emissions filtration system that
reduces diesel particulate emissions by 25
percent (actual reductions are believed to be
higher). Under POLB's full DERP effort, 638
nonroad HDVs have been retrofitted with clean-
diesel technology resulting in annual reductions
of 14.7 tons of diesel particulate matter
emissions and 42.8 tons of NOX emissions.
The Port of Long Beach Diesel Reduction
Program has received $2,075,000 in funding, of
which $1,000,000 was a grant from CARB,
$1,000,000 was a match from the Port of Long
Beach, and $75,000 was from the EPA (through
SCAQMD).
Conclusion
Nearly every major urban area and port in
America has air quality that is severely impacted
by a "legacy fleet" of older heavy-duty diesel
vehicles. This program can be a model for other
cities to follow. The cost effectiveness of the
program makes it an attractive and voluntary
option for these urban areas and port facilities
to reduce emissions and improve air quality.
Contact Information
The Gateway Cities Clean Air program provides
information on its Fleet Modernization Program
including program guidelines, emissions
calculation tools and dealer information online
at:
www.qatewavcoq.orq/cleanairproqram/overview
/overview, html
For more information please contact the
Gateway Cities Clean Air Program at (800) 800-
4414.
U.S. EPA Office of Transportation & Air Quality • EPA420-F-06-004 • (734) 214-4767 phone <
www.epa.gov/smartwav
smartway_transport@epa.gov
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