Shippers, retailers condemn LA-style clean trucks in NY-NJ

AMERICA's major shippers and retail groups have condemned New York and Newark's support for a Los Angeles-style clean trucks programme that would scrap federal law and ban independent truckers from the waterfront.

"These restrictions, advocated by the Teamsters, are designed to eliminate competition from small independent businesses in favour of companies that the [union] believes could be more easily organised," said a letter of protest from the National Retail Federation and the National Industrial Transportation League, together with 27 other organisations.

The letter expressed "grave disappointment" for the support given by the mayors of New York and Newark to follow the California ban on independent truckers to cut air pollution.

Addressing New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and Newark mayor Cory Booker, the letter said: "The argument that port trucking services should be exempted from federal pre-emption to improve air quality is fallacious."

"There is no need for a change to federal law, nor any justification on outlawing independent owner-operator trucking firms from serving our nation箂 ports," said the joint statement.

The letter was in response to the mayors' joint announcement of their support for the Port of Los Angeles Clean Trucks Plan and amending longstanding federal trucking rules in the Federal Aviation Administration Authorisation Act (FAAAA).

"The Port of Los Angeles' Clean Truck Programme included a provision that would have banned any harbour trucking company from using independent owner operator drivers in favour of employee drivers," the letter said.

Signatories include the Agriculture Transportation Coalition, the American Apparel & Footwear Association, the American Association of Exporters and Importers, the American Import Shippers Association, the American Trucking Associations, the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade, the Fashion Accessories Shippers Association, the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, the Harbour Truckers for Sustainable Future Los Angeles/Long Beach, the International Warehouse Logistics Association, NASSTRAC, Inc, the National Association of Waterfront Employers, the National Industrial Transportation League the National Retail Federation, the New Jersey Motor Truck Association, the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, the New York State Motor Truck Association, the New York Shipping Association, the Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Assns Inc, the Retail Council of New York State, Retail Industry Leaders Association, the Health & Personal Care Logistics Conference, the Transportation Intermediaries Association, the Travel Goods Association, the US Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel, the United States Council for International Business, the Waterfront Coalition, the West State Alliance, Oakland and the World Shipping Council

(Source: www.schednet.com)