Under the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, the ports of Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Northwest Seaport Alliance collectively set a goal of having 2007 or newer engine year trucks exclusively serving container terminals. The Clean Truck Program was originally set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2018, but as the date approached only 53% of NWSA trucks were compliant. To provide additional time and resources to purchase a compliant truck, the deadline was extended through the end of the year. The NWSA implemented a large-scale effort to improve outreach and education on trucking issues in the gateway, working closely with our stakeholders. Communication was conducted through various channels – online; physically through banners and flyers at terminal gates; and through evening and weekend workshops.
The implementation of the Program was a multidisciplinary effort, and a collaboration with a range of state agencies (Puget Sound Clean Air Agency; EPA; WA Department of Ecology; African Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest; City of Seattle; Washington Trucking Association) and the Pacific Northwest trucking community.
- The NWSA partnered with the African Chamber of Commerce to host workshops on a range of topics such as DPF maintenance, safety and financing, providing translation and support. Videos of these workshops have been uploaded to our website .
- Port staff sought cost-effective ways for drivers to update their trucks and presented findings at the Trucker’s Outreach Forum.
- The Program also provided support to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s online DPF maintenance training videos, available in seven languages, hosting Trucker Appreciation BBQs to share maintenance information.
The implementation of the program has decreased diesel particulate matter (DPM) emissions from trucks, reducing the pollutant load on our neighboring communities by 33.4 tons of DPM per year.