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Drayage Truck Drivers
What You Can Do
The demand for short-haul trucking continues to rise with the growing trend of cargo freight. As drayage truck drivers, you play an important role in the fabric of port operations and economy and air quality at ports. EPA’s SmartWay Transport Program, which works closely with Clean Ports USA, has identified a set of technologies, operational strategies, and financing mechanisms to help you reduce fuel costs and improve air quality.
SmartWay Transport understands the business sense of truckers and aims to save you money to make the adoption of fuel saving and emissions control strategies easier. See Truckers Clean Diesel Grants and Loan Information for financing opportunities. The Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program 
exemplifies how to use grants and financial incentives to improve air quality.
What Drayage Truckers Can Do
- Replace oldest trucks and engines with newer trucks and engines
- Avoid Idling - Shut off the engine
- Keep engines well maintained
- Implement emissions reduction strategies, technologies and fuels
- Operate during off-peak hours
Replace oldest trucks and engines with newer trucks and engines
Newer trucks are subject to stricter EPA regulations and therefore pollute less. By turning over trucks and engines and replacing them with brand new ones, you will be playing a major role in reducing emissions. The SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program uses cooperative agreements to establish innovative finance programs for buyers of eligible diesel vehicles and equipment. For loan application and contact information for these programs, please visit Clean Diesel Grants and Loans - Financial Assistance.
Avoid Idling - Shut off the engine
Shutting off the engine of diesel equipment or vehicles when not in use is the smartest and easiest way to reduce air pollution and save money. Not only does unnecessary idling waste fuel but it causes wear and tear on the engine which requires more maintenance. By establishing an anti-idling policy for trucks, locomotives or cargo handling equipment, you can effectively reduce diesel emissions at the ports. EPA's SmartWay program maintains a list of idle reduction technologies.
Keep engines well maintained
Engines that are properly maintained and tuned perform better and typically emit less pollution than engines that are not properly maintained. Rebuilding an engine as a strategy for emissions reduction can also significantly lower emissions, run more efficiently and be cost effective for high value equipment. Proper maintenance or rebuilding lowers emissions by burning fuel more efficiently and can reduce operation costs and extend engine life.
Implement emissions reduction strategies, technologies and fuels
EPA encourages the use of retrofit devices, equipment replacement, and cleaner fuels which have been tested and verified to cut diesel emissions. These technologies are cost-effective and yield substantial reductions. See the Technologies page for a comprehensive summary of options.
Operate during off-peak hours
By extending terminal gate hours beyond the regular schedule or offering incentives for off-peak operations, truck queuing, idling, and traffic congestion are shortened. Not only does this increase flow and efficiency, but allows for equipment use during off-peak ozone hours.
For more practices and strategies ports can take to reduce emissions, visit the Technologies page.