The Port Authority launched its 2015 Regional Truck Replacement Program (2015 RTRP) on October 19. The $2 million program continues the agency’s initiative to provide truck owners with financial incentives to replace their older vehicles with cleaner and safer units. This, in turn, will produce significant environmental benefits at the port.

Specifically, the 2015 RTRP provides independent owner operators and licensed motor carriers who own trucks with Model Year 1994-2006 engines an opportunity to receive a grant. The grant will cover up to 50 percent of the purchase price (up to $25,000) for a replacement truck equipped with a Model Year 2007 or newer EPA emissions-compliant engine. 

Participants in the 2015 RTRP must meet the following guidelines:

• They must own a port drayage truck (Class 8, gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) 33,001 lbs and higher) equipped with engine Model Year 1994-2006;
• They must call regularly at Port Authority’s marine terminals approximately 150 times over the last 12 months;
• They must possesses a valid registration, license plate, driver’s license, and current vehicle insurance;
• They must be willing to scrap their current drayage truck.

To improve public health and worker safety, beginning January 1, 2017, no Container Terminal Facility shall permit access by any drayage truck not equipped with an engine that meets or exceeds federal Environmental Protection Agency on-road emission standards for 2007 model year heavy-duty diesel-fueled engines (i.e. Engine Model Year 2007).

Alternatives to this Phase Out Plan, which may affect engine model year access and implementation date(s), are currently being evaluated. At this time, no decision affecting the current 2017 phase out date or any alternative has been reached. While the agency continues to look for additional grant opportunities, 2015 RTRP funding is available on a first-come-first-serve basis with priority placed on replacing older heaviest emitting trucks first, specifically trucks with 1994 through 1997 engines.

Click here to read a full press release on the 2015 RTRP. 

To learn more about the RTRP, please visit our Web site at www.replacemytruck.org or www.cambiamicamion.org or visit our Truck Service Center in the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal, in Elizabeth NJ.