Big Rigs Going Green: Massport Establishes “Clean Truck Program” to Reduce Emissions

If you’ve ever driven behind a 25-year-old big rig with your windows down, you are well aware that these bad boys belch out a lot of air pollutants. In addition to making your ride uncomfortable, old trucks are making the air in and around Boston unbreathable.

Working in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency, Massport has created a program that will help curb truck emissions and improve air quality. The Clean Truck Program will provide the owners of older trucks servicing South Boston’s Conley Container Terminal with 50% of the cost — up to $25,000 — for purchasing newer, greener trucks. Eligible owners must have trucks that are between 15 and 26 years old, while proposed replacement trucks need to be compliant with 2007 emission standards.

“The financial incentive that the program provides will definitely help owner/operators and fleet owners consider upgrading to newer trucks,” said Juliette Senesi, carrier product manager at the Boston-based truckload service provider, Open Mile. “Fuel makes up a huge portion of a trucking company’s operating costs and any fuel saving technology is always welcome. If it helps save the environment and improve air quality, even better.”

According to Senesi, going green is a growing trend in the freight transportation industry, as many carriers and brokers are becoming certified with the EPA’s SmartWay fuel-efficiency program. “Open Mile is SmartWay-certified and we welcome SmartWay-certified carriers to join our network,” said Senesi. “We find that a lot of shippers are looking to work with SmartWay-certified freight brokers and third-party logistics companies in order to reduce their carbon footprints.”

To fund the Clean Truck Program, Massport is putting up $1 million, while the EPA is contributing $500,000 through the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act. Massport expects that up to 60 older trucks that currently service the Conley Container Terminal will be replaced as a result of the program. With container shipments projected to grow by up to 50% in the next few years, the Clean Truck Program will — ideally — help minimize air pollution that results from trucking those containers out of the South Boston terminal.

Related posts:

1. Mass. Calls for Improved Clean Energy Connections
2. Boston Tourism Industry is Seeing Green; Big Spike after Two Lackluster Years
3. Massachusetts Extending Solar Hot Water Program to Commercial Buildings
4. House to End Page Program After Nearly 200 years
5. Boston Launches First Bike Share Program in Mass.

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Posted by erik devaney on Sep 21 2011. Filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry