(June 18, 2008) The California Chamber of Commerce, along with truck owners, farmers, construction contractors and other business and community leaders, has announced the formation of “Driving Toward a Cleaner California” (DTCC).

The coalition is 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 have an impact on 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 requires every diesel truck and bus operating in California today — this includes “those transiting California roadways from other states and countries,” according to the ARB — to be replaced or retrofitted. Considering the millions of goods and products delivered via truck each day in the state, these regulations could have a profound, negative impact on California’s economy and competitiveness.

Given the multibillion-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.

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 the ARB, 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.

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 stays at its most competitive; and holding increased costs to other businesses and consumers to a minimum.

The DTCC members announced to date 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.
  

For more information on the DTCC coalition, visit www.drivecleanCA.org.