S.C. Ports to Begin Clean Truck Certification Program
The South Carolina Ports Authority said it will begin a Clean Truck Certification program Jan. 1, requiring trucks to have engines manufactured in 1994 or later.
Truck owners must enroll in the program through the SCPA’s website, and the authority said it is offering a $5,000 incentive plus scrap value to owners who upgrade trucks.
“By implementing this program, we achieve a reduction in the air-quality impacts resulting from an older truck fleet, and modernize the over-the-road equipment just as we are doing on terminal with newer equipment,” port authority CEO Jim Newsome said in a statement.
“The Clean Truck Certification program is the next step in our well-established . . . emissions-reductions strategy,” he said.
A limited number of hardship registrations are available for trucks that have been to the port at least 52 times in the previous 52 weeks. Hardship registrations expire June 30.
The port authority said the program is based on engine year rather than truck model year for maximum flexibility for the trucking industry.
Keith Johnson, president of the Charleston Motor Carriers Association, said, “We support the Clean Truck program and the opportunity it gives our members to upgrade their truck engines. This is a positive initiative both for our industry and for the environment.”
