"When we developed this program, one of the problems we identified early on was that many of these independent drivers did not have the financial wherewithal to own and operate a clean truck, despite the amount of public funding available to them," Baker said.

"They’re feeling the squeeze, unfortunately," Baker said. "That’s the reason why our program includes licensed motor carriers, who have more capital and the ability to turn over their trucking fleets."

The program in Los Angeles has three elements: incentives and fees for clean trucks, a requirement that trucks operating at its port be owned by companies, not by individual drivers, and creating community-friendly provisions for areas near the port.
Dellums praised Villaraigosa for "his guts, courage and integrity" in working with the Teamsters Union, which is one of the biggest and toughest unions in the country, to develop the program.
Villaraigosa said "what’s good for labor is good for America" and said if the movement for clean truck programs ends in Los Angeles and isn’t emulated elsewhere "we’ll miss a great opportunity."
Dellums said Villaraigosa, who’s raising money for a possible bid to run for governor in 2010, had to keep his speech short because he had to catch a plane.

The grants were designed to help truckers comply with tough new California emission standards at all state ports for diesel trucks manufactured between 1994 and 2003. But Singh’s application for the 1,500 to $1,800 retrofit was rejected; only the first 800 were approved.

"Why are you only approving a certain amount of truckers and putting the other truckers out of work?" he said.

The reason is the $22 million in state, federal and local money set aside to subsidize the retrofits at the port ran out.

"We understand that there are truckers who maybe didn’t qualify for the funding and that’s why we have low-cost financing as well as work-force training partnerships that are going on right now," said Port of Oakland spokesperson Marilyn Sandifur.

“With less than six weeks remaining until the CARB ban on non-compliant drayage trucks takes effect, hundreds of truckers are wondering what to do and where the money will come from to put food on the table,” stated a news release from the Alliance.

The release went on to say that the CARB-mandated retrofits “pose an enormous financial burden on the drivers.”

The group explained that state bond money was appropriated to help finance the retrofit of older trucks with diesel exhaust emission controls but that in the economic downturn, “grant funds were no longer available.”

“How, if the state cannot come up with the money originally designated for these retrofits, can the drivers still be required to bear this burden,” the release stated. “They are living in the same economic downturn as the rest of the state.”

There are a total of an estimated 3,000 independent trucks and drivers serving the Port of Oakland and the Alliance release stated that the ban on the ones whose trucks do not meet CARB standards will mean “the loss of jobs and … the very livelihood of many Oakland residents.”