Air Pollution Agency Rules to Reduce Emissions from Drayage Vehicles

Description: In the transportation sector, mobile sources and the fossil fuels that power them are the largest contributors to the formation of ozone, greenhouse gas emissions, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and toxic diesel particulate matter. The state of California found that, despite only making up 7% of all vehicles, heavy-duty trucks were responsible for a third of total transportation related nitrogen oxides (NOx) and a fifth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation in the state. As NOx and GHG emissions contribute to global warming and climate change, managing and limiting these emissions are vital measures for reducing the causes of global climate disruption.

The California Air Resource Board has determined that reducing tailpipe emissions from vehicles, especially heavy-duty class trucks used for drayage, is an effective response to both climate disruption and localized air pollution that often disproportionately impacts underrepresented and under-resourced communities. Drayage is the short-haul trucking of goods between different modes of transport, usually as part of a longer overall shipment route. Commonly, heavy-duty class trucks move goods between cargo ships, railyards, and logistics centers. These heavy-duty class trucks contribute disproportionately to vehicle emissions, making them an effective subject for conservation efforts.

Various underrepresented and under-resourced neighborhoods located near port facilities, railyards and associated logistics centers or warehouses have successfully worked in coalitions to advocate for emissions-free drayage. Coalitions–including neighborhood groups, environmental justice organizations, politicians, utility providers, governmental agencies, and other organizations–have called for measures to eliminate noxious diesel emissions that drift into nearby neighborhoods and impact local health as well as the global climate. One such group is the Moving Forward Network (MFN), which is a coalition of over 50 community based environmental groups all over the nation advocating for zero emission freight sectors and similar environmental goals. One of the environmental groups operating within the MFN network is the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice (PC4EJ). PC4EJ was founded in 2020 in California and since its inception PC4EJ’s affiliated action group, PCEJ Action, has lobbied for progressive environmental policies such as the Warehouse Indirect Source Rule Regulation (WISRR). The WISRR, which aims to reduce the emission of various pollutants from warehouses and mobile sources like drayage trucks, was adopted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District in Southern California and mandates air quality improvements in Orange County, parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside. One of PC4EJ’s co-founders, Andrea Vidaurre, was awarded the Goldman prize and spotlighted by Time Magazine in Time’s 100 most influential people of 2025 for her work on improving air quality in Southern California’s Inland Empire.

In response to the environmental threats posed by traditional drayage, as well as pressure from activist groups and air pollution agency rules, some localities and states have begun to transition to electric vehicles for drayage. The following are examples of recent projects and legislation that represent this transition.

Selected Project Examples

Oakland, CA:

• In Oakland; the Center for Transportation and Environment (CTE), a member supported non-profit, is leading a project team which will build and deploy thirty fuel cell electric heavy duty transportation trucks and a supporting hydrogen fueling station adjacent to the Port of Oakland. The goal of the project is to operate a zero emission fleet of heavy duty trucks for a period of six years. CTE has partnered with the Hyundai Motor Company and the University of California at Berkeley, among others, to help this project achieve its goals.
• The Port of Oakland launched an electric truck project in 2021 which provided ten battery powered trucks funded by the Zero and Near-Zero Emission Freight Facility program, a program from the California Air Resources Board. The zero-emission trucks debuted at Shippers Transport Express (STE), a Port of Oakland based transport company.

Long Beach CA:

• In 2024, Zeem Solutions–a leading electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and fleet management provider–announced the development of a large capacity EV charging depot for electric drayage trucks serving the Port of Long Beach. The depot will allow drayage operators in the Long Beach area to comply with new California zero-emission laws.

City of Seattle Electric Trucks Incentive Pilot:

• Approximately 4,000 diesel drayage trucks operate in Seattle’s Duwamish Valley. In order to mitigate some of the resulting environmental pollution, the City of Seattle has set aside $1.7 million to fund an incentive program: the program will fund point of sale rebates for new electric vehicles operating in the Duwamish Valley. For drayage trucks, 40% of the total cost up to $180,000 dollars per new truck is available through the incentive program. The program is open to all new and existing drayage fleets, with priority being given to independent and small fleet operators as well as women and minority owned operations.

Port of Virginia GO-Zero Program:

• The GO-Zero program provides financial incentives for both fleet operators and independent drayage truck owner-operators to switch to zero-emission and near zero-emission vehicles.
• The GO-Zero program offers $200,000 for each zero-emission truck purchased, $100,000 for each near zero-emission truck purchased, and an additional $25,000 for participants who agree to scrap older diesel powered trucks. Trucks eligible for replacement must have an engine year model of 2009 or older, and the replacement truck must have an engine year model of 2017 or newer.

Enabling Legislation and Agency Programs

California:
California has been one of the leading states in the country when it comes to transitioning to electric drayage fleets. California’s Air Resource Board has enacted both the Advanced Clean Trucks Regulation (ACT) and the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation (ACF). Both the ACT and ACF have become influential pieces of policy that have been adopted in other states. However, it should be noted that–as of the time of writing this article–some substantial legal roadblocks have been enacted against the ACT and ACF. In May of 2025, the Trump administration and Congress passed a resolution of disapproval in opposition to the ACT and revoked waivers enacted by the Biden Administration enabling the ACT and similar laws. California and ten other states have since filed lawsuits against the Trump administration for the actions taken against the state laws designed to phase out gas and diesel vehicles, including heavy duty trucks.

ACT (2020):

• Mandates the world’s first zero-emission commercial truck sales requirement.
• Requires that manufacturers must ensure that an increasing percentage of their commercial truck sales consist of zero-emission vehicles, with the required percentage rising at scheduled intervals.

ACF (2023):

• Builds on the ACT by requiring fleet operators of public agencies, high-priority fleets, and drayage trucks to transition to zero-emission vehicles.
• Mandated from 2024 forward that only zero-emission trucks may be added to California’s drayage registry.
• Sets 2035 as the target year for a fully zero-emission drayage fleet in California.

New York and New Jersey:
Adoption of ACT:

• Similarly requires manufacturers to make zero-emissions trucks a growing share of total sales starting in 2025 (as of June 30, 2025, pending legislation in both states would delay implementation until 2027).
• Drayage trucks fall under the New York adoption of ACT, which will contribute to the reduction of harmful emissions at New York’s busy port and freight corridors.

Port Authority of NY and New Jersey (PANYNJ):

• The Clean Truck Program limits access to ports for older high-emission drayage truckers, thereby incentivizing the transition to zero-emission trucks. Starting in 2023, trucks with model 1998 or older engines were banned entirely from accessing the Port Authority and only trucks with model 2014 or newer engines are permitted to register for port access.
• PANYNJ also works in conjunction with several federal programs to achieve an overall goal of net zero-emissions by 2050. Funding for the conversion of the PANYNJ drayage fleet to zero-emission vehicles is provided by the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Emission Reduction Program.

Oregon:
Adoption of ACT:

• Oregon has implemented the standards of the ACT policy requiring manufacturers to increase the percentage of total sales made up of zero-emission trucks. While an initial target date of 2025 was set when Oregon adopted ACT, that date has been pushed to 2028 to allow manufacturers additional time to comply.
• Manufacturers who have already made early efforts to comply with the ACT zero-emission commercial truck sales requirements are eligible to receive credits for zero-emission commercial trucks sold before the 2028 start date.

Pending ACT States:
Pennsylvania, Illinois, Connecticut, and Maine all have campaigns for the states to implement ACT currently underway.

Washington State:
Climate Commitment Act:

• $120 million was set aside as part of Washington State’s Climate Commitment Act, funded through the 2023-2025 transportation budget, to provide incentives for electrifying a range of trucks and buses, including drayage trucks. $100 million will go directly towards electrifying the vehicles and building electric vehicle infrastructure, and $20 million will be used to fund early action demonstration projects.
• House Bill 1125 (2023), which outlined the budget for Washington State’s transportation agencies, directs the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA)a marine cargo operating partnership between the ports of Tacoma and Seattle–to create a zero-emission truck stakeholder group.
• The NWSA must launch at least one zero-emission drayage truck demonstration project.
• The NWSA must develop a plan for transitioning all truck cargo to zero-emission vehicles by 2050.

Climate United:
Climate United is a national investment fund that aims to remove financial barriers to clean technologies. In 2024, Climate United launched a $250 million electric drayage truck program offering affordable leasing options for battery powered electric trucks to small fleets and independent operators. The program launched at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles with the intent to expand nationally.

Environmental Justice
Electric drayage vehicles are an important development in modern transportation infrastructure; not only due to environmental concerns on the macro level, but on the micro level as well. The physical spaces in close proximity to drayage operations are disproportionately affected by the environmental issues caused by traditional diesel drayage vehicles. A study by the American Geophysical Union found that low income communities and communities of color experience 28% more nitrogen dioxide pollution than higher income neighborhoods, a disparity that is driven in part by exposure to trucking emissions. Drayage trucks can spend up to 68% of their time in port simply idling, emitting pollutants that collect in surrounding areas. The California Air Resources Board have found that neighborhoods surrounding ports are often inhabited by lower income Black and Brown communities, and these communities are disproportionately impacted by port pollution. Reducing drayage emissions by improving vehicle standards is to the benefit of both the local and the global community.

Goal: Transition drayage fleets from fossil fuels to zero-emission vehicles.