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OPINION - USA - L.A. truck plan makes more sense
The Port of Los Angeles, proposed that port truck drivers become employees of licensed motor carriers and licensed motor carriers obtain taxicab-type concessionaire agreements with the ports
Long Beach,CA,USA -The Long Beach Press-Telegram, by (*) Geraldine Knatz -23 Mar 2008: -- ... Licensed motor carriers have the business relationships with major retailers and other cargo owners that ship goods through our ports. By our estimates, there are about 1,300 licensed motor carriers operating in our trucking system. Many of them have little or no assets. They contract with an estimated 16,000 independent truck owner-operators to haul containerized cargo among the ports, rail yards, regional warehouses and businesses... In this system of licensed motor carriers and paid-by-the-load truckers, thin margins and wild competition drive rampant inefficiencies and cut-rate pricing. Low rates mean low wages, and low wages power the fleet of old, poorly maintained, smog-belching trucks. Trucks contribute 63 percent to the estimated 2,400 premature deaths statewide each year from air pollution generated by regional goods movement... While protecting public health for the long run is priority one, three key principles mandate our Clean Truck Program's aggressive approach:
* Efficiency: Providing new trucks to licensed motor carriers is more efficient than working with 16,000 individual drivers to replace each of their trucks...
* Sustainability: With lower fees and a variety of incentives, the Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program does the most to encourage private investment toward the turnover of our dirty truck fleet within the shortest period of time... By the time the next generation of trucks is needed, we must ensure that our trucking industry is financially self-sufficient so Southern Californians can continue breathing cleaner air....
* Security: A trucking system with employee drivers provides a far greater degree of control and accountability than we currently have with thousands of independently contracted truckers...
(*) Geraldine Knatz is executive director of the Port of Los Angeles (and a resident of Long Beach)
Labels: Clean Truck Program debate
posted by Unknown @ 6:03 AM
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