California Truckers, Farmers, Construction Contractors, Business and Community Leaders Form “Driving Toward a Cleaner California” Coalition
Coalition’s goal is to craft an alternative proposal that will result in the cleanest fleets in the world and keep California’s economy moving forward
Sacramento, CA – Truck owners, farmers, construction contractors and other business and community leaders today announced the formation of “Driving Toward a Cleaner California” (DTCC), a coalition committed to working with the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to craft a sensible truck and bus replacement rule that both cleans the air and keeps California’s economy moving forward.
The recently proposed on-road diesel truck and bus replacement rule – set to be voted on by the ARB this October – would impact the more than 1.5 million trucks and buses used to transport goods and people on California’s roads, highways and farms. Starting in 2010, this proposal would require every diesel truck and bus operating in California today –according to the ARB this includes “those transiting California roadways from other states and countries,”– to be replaced or retrofitted. Given the millions of goods and products delivered via truck each day in the state, these regulations could have a profound, negative impact on state’s economy and competitiveness.
“The ARB has proposed its on-road diesel truck and bus replacement rule at a time when all Californians are struggling to make ends meet, and truckers, farmers and other small businesses will be especially hard hit in the face of skyrocketing diesel prices and the economic downturn,” said Bob Ramorino, president of Roadstar Trucking Inc. in Hayward and president of the California Trucking Association. “We are not trying to stop these regulations, but rather make sure they are written and implemented in a balanced way that works for both our economy and our environment.”
Given the multi-billion dollar cost of this regulation – and the current volatile economic environment – the DTCC Coalition believes the affected industries and other sectors should be given the opportunity to comply in the most reasonable timeframe and flexible manner possible.
“No matter how you slice it, the compliance options the ARB currently proposes could be a death sentence to many truck owners that California businesses and consumers rely on to bring goods to store shelves,” said Jimm Cross of Cross Petroleum in Redding and a board member of the California Independent Oil Marketers Association. “The regulations will hit individual owner-operators and small trucking firms, like ours, the hardest.”
Many companies, including many small owner-operators are being asked to dispose of equipment and assets before their useful life has been completed and purchase new equipment before it would otherwise be acquired. According to CARB, 55-percent of truck owners are small firms with five trucks or fewer. Nearly one-third of truck owners – 32-percent – are owner-operators who own just one vehicle. The ARB has yet to make a full disclosure to business owners and consumers of the true economic impacts of the proposed mandate.
“This proposed regulation seeks to paint all diesel vehicles and buses with the same broad brush,” said Lee Brown, executive director of the California Dump Truck Owners Association. “We are committed to working with the ARB, the Legislature and the Administration to ensure a thorough understanding of how these vehicles are used by various sectors of our economy, and to craft an alternative proposal that will result in the cleanest on-road vehicles in the world.”
The DTCC Coalition’s goal is to come to consensus with the ARB on a rule that cleans the air while also keeping the maximum number of companies in business and workers employed; ensuring the business environment at its most competitive; and holding increased costs to other businesses and consumers to a minimum. The DTCC members announced today include:
Agricultural Council of California
American Trucking Associations
Associated California Loggers
Associated Roofing Contractors of the Bay Area Counties, Inc.
Bay Counties Dump Truck Association
Beck Oil, Inc
California Beer and Beverage Distributors
California Dump Truck Owners Association
California Cattlemen’s Association
California Chamber of Commerce
California Construction and Industrial Materials Association
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Forestry Association
California Grocers Association
California Independent Oil Marketers Association
California League of Food Processors
California Manufacturers & Technology Association
California Moving and Storage Association
California Professional Association of Specialty Contractors
California Refuse Removal Council
California Spa & Pool Industry Education Council
California Tow Truck Association
California Trucking Association
Chemical Industry Council of California
Construction Industry Air Quality Coalition
Cross Petroleum
Dairy Institute of California
Del Monte Foods
Far West Equipment Dealers Association
J.C. Lansdowne, Inc.
Mack Trucks, Inc
Mid Coast Transportation Inc.
Milpitas Chamber of Commerce
Monterey County Business Council
Mountain Valley Express Co. Inc
Napa Chamber of Commerce
North American Power Sweeping Association - CA Chapter
Peets Coffee
Peterson Power Systems
Redding Oil Company
Santa Barbara County Nursery & Flower Grower Association
Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association
Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce and Convention-Visitors Bureau
Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce
Transerve, Inc.
Trucks Feed Our Families
Valley Contractors Exchange
Western Electrical Contractors Association - Independent Electrical Contractors
Western Growers Association
Western States Oil Co.
