Cleaner air in port cities, thanks to new trucks

When most of us think about air pollution, we envision coal-burning power plants and smokestacks puffing out dirty air. In many coastal cities, however, a large source of air pollution comes from shipping ports.

Container ships and oil tankers are largely unregulated and release vast amounts of pollution. At the Port of Houston, more than one third of the air pollution also comes from 3,000 “drayage” trucks — diesel-fueled heavy trucks that move containers. Much of this pollution comes from older, more polluting models.

Making it easy to upgrade

In a partnership with the Port of Houston and a regional group supporting cooperation among local governments, EDF helped develop an innovative program that makes it easier for truck owners to buy new, cleaner trucks, to reduce air pollution at the Port. 

New drayage trucks are expensive, costing $150,000 or more. That makes it hard for a truck owner to buy a new truck to replace an older, more polluting model. But through the Houston Drayage Loan Program, independent truck owners and truck fleet managers working at the Port of Houston can now get grants to partially offset the cost of a new truck.

Goal: Replace 230 trucks

The remainder can be financed through low-interest loans. The grants and loans are funded primarily through the Texas Emission Reduction Program (TERP) and the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program. 

The combination of the grants (often paying half the cost of a new truck) and the loans has made this program a popular choice for drivers at the Port. As of July 2012, the program has replaced over 90 trucks, with the goal of ultimately replacing 230. The program is already becoming a model for other ports around the country.