The more cooperative approach recommended by a committee of the South Coast Air Quality Management District means the ports and their stakeholders would not need to limit cargo volumes each year to achieve emissions reductions goals.
Supply chain control, not just cost, is the priority for shippers that have built up in-house truck fleets and increasingly are using them for more than outbound deliveries.
The about-face from SMART-TD, which had initially opposed the $85 billion transaction over fears of job losses, makes regulatory approval of the merger far more likely.