“This money puts more ZE trucks in port service faster by lowering the cost of purchasing them while ensuring the charging and fueling infrastructure is there to keep them moving,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka.
Photo: Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles said it will continue investing in clean trucks and supporting infrastructure over the next three years to help transition the drayage fleet serving the port to zero-emission truck models by 2035.
The spending plan that will guide how the port allocates its Clean Truck Fund revenues through June 2028.
“The Clean Truck Fund is a short-term strategy to maximize results,” said Port Executive Director Gene Seroka. “This money puts more ZE trucks in port service faster by lowering the cost of purchasing them while ensuring the charging and fueling infrastructure is there to keep them moving.”
Where Do The Port’s Clean Truck Funds Come From?
Port funding comes from the CTF Rate. The rate was established to help operators afford zero-emission trucks, which are more expensive than conventional models, and build the charging and fueling depots needed to power them.
The revenues come from cargo owners who pay $10 for every loaded twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) hauled through the port by conventional drayage trucks, most of which run on diesel. The rate for larger containers is $20.
Cargo owners who use zero-emission trucks are permanently exempt from the rate. Owners whose goods are hauled by certain trucks with lower nitrogen oxides emissions have a temporary exemption through December 31, 2027. The Port of Long Beach collects the same rate under its CTF Rate program.
Since April 2022, the Port of Los Angeles has collected approximately $123 million in CTF revenues. As of March 2025, the Port has spent or allocated $93 million for deploying zero-emission trucks and building charging and fueling depots.
The total includes funding for projects subject to final approval by the Harbor Commission and covers:
- Incentive vouchers for up to 350 zero-emission drayage trucks, with 103 trucks delivered and up to 247 more on order.
- An additional 22 zero-emission trucks through two licensed motor carriers awarded funding in the Port’s first Request for Proposal (RFP), with 10 trucks in service and 12 trucks ready to be deployed this quarter when in-house charging stations are operational.
- A regional project led by the South Coast Air Quality Management District that put 100 zero-emission trucks into drayage service at the San Pedro Bay ports.
- A regional infrastructure project funding eight public charging stations that provide 207 chargers for battery-electric trucks across Southern California.
- Another proposed public charging station due to be located in Wilmington and currently under environmental review.
Over the next three years, the Port expects to collect about $120 million more in CTF revenues. The actual amount will depend on cargo throughput and the growing number of ZE trucks calling at the port.
Through mid-2028, the port will continue to prioritize spending CTF revenues on vouchers that make zero-emission trucks more affordable, charging and fueling infrastructure projects, and future RFPs that put more ZE trucks in port service and add more infrastructure.
The port will also prioritize investing in promising zero-emission truck technology and helping to support grant applications by others that accelerate the transition to ZEVs. Likely grant partners include other government agencies, current port tenants, and/or licensed motor carriers registered to call at the port.
How The Port Makes Clean Truck Fund Money Go Further
From the outset, according to a news release, the port has leveraged its CTF money by partnering with the private sector and regional, state and federal agencies to speed up the transition.
Examples including combining the port’s incentive vouchers with available funding from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to cover as much as 90% of the up-front costs of buying ZE trucks. Without vouchers, the average cost of a new Class 8 truck that runs on battery-electric power costs is about $420,000 and those fueled by hydrogen average $750,000, according to Port officials.
Infrastructure partnerships include collaborating with the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reductions Review Committee (MSRC) to fund the eight public charging stations across Southern California. MSRC is a regional intergovernmental agency made up of South Coast Air Basin transportation agencies, the South Coast Air Quality Management District and CARB.
Today, 546 zero-emission trucks are currently in service at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. A majority were purchased with the help of Clean Truck Fund vouchers and/or similar incentives from other agencies.
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