Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Dec. 4, 2023:
Freight electrification provider Forum Mobility said it plans to erect a new heavy-duty truck charging depot in the Port of Long Beach capable of providing high-speed charging infrastructure for hundreds of drayage trucks per day and supporting the transition of the state's drayage fleet to zero-emission.
Drayage carriers are already reserving chargers at the FM Harbor depot, the company claimed, because of the strategic location adjacent to terminals.
"Securing fully-staffed and dedicated charging inside the port makes us pioneers in the space, which puts us ahead of the competition," said Emmanuel Carrillo, CEO at Talon Logistics, a national drayage carrier based in Chino that has already secured dedicated charging at FM Harbor. "FM Harbor couldn't be more convenient – 7,000 trucks a day go into the Port of Long Beach, and our fleet will be one of the few able to charge right next to the terminals. Forum's turnkey charging solution allows me to focus on growing my business and serving my customers."
[Related: California's aggressive ZEV mandate backfiring at the ports?]
The California Air Resources Board is requiring all of California's drayage fleet – approximately 33,000 class 8 trucks – to be zero-emission by 2035. By Jan. 1, 2024, any diesel trucks operating at the ports are required to register in CARB’s new system to be allowed to continue to operate. New trucks operating at the port will be required to be zero-emission after Jan. 1.
Charging infrastructure is a key ingredient for success: the California Energy Commission estimates that to comply with the Advanced Clean Fleet and other regulations, California will need 157,000 medium and heavy-duty chargers by 2030.
