LA-Long Beach Fee Sparks Traffic Jam

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach Wednesday ushered in a new era of harbor trucking as they began to collect clean-truck fees from importers and exporters.

Although the day started smoothly and most trucks were processed without incident, backlogs developed in late morning as about 20 percent of the trucks entering the harbor were denied access to marine terminals.

Port of Long Beach spokesman Art Wong said some truckers had failed to install radio frequency identification tags as directed, while other motor carriers did not sign up with the Truck Drayage Registry.

The drivers were instructed to report to a special center that had been established to handle problem cases. That facility was set up to handle about 50 trucks per hour, but by early afternoon hundreds of trucks had descended upon the center and long lines developed.

The RFID tags contain information on the truck, driver and motor carrier. The information is used to process truck traffic and assess clean-truck fees.

The port issued a warning to motorists to avoid roads into Terminal Island until further notice, including I-710 southbound, SR-47 southbound and Ocean Boulevard westbound, "due to hundreds of trucks lined up, attempting to enter the Ports' Truck Tag Replacement Center on Terminal Island."

Law enforcement agencies are assisting in efforts to divert traffic, the alert stated.

The $35 per-TEU fee is being collected on all inbound and outbound containers that are pulled by older, polluting trucks. PortCheck, an agency established by marine terminal operators to process fee collection, is billing cargo interests for the fees.

Revenues will be used to help motor carriers purchase 2007-model or newer clean diesel trucks or alternative fuel trucks that meet strict emission standards. The ports are committed to subsidizing up to 80 percent of the price of a new truck. Clean-diesel trucks cost about $100,000 each.

Fee collection began with the 8 a.m. shift Wednesday, and as expected, there were some glitches because not all truckers have registered their vehicles with the ports' Drayage Truck Registry as they were supposed to. Unregistered trucks are denied access to the terminals unless the motor carrier purchases a day pass for $100.

However, frequent callers are expected to register with the ports and secure RFID tags for their vehicles. The ports for months have urged motor carriers to sign up on the truck registry.