>Hundreds of truckers in California are subject to the new CARB emissions rules

Oakland mayor requests more money for truckers

A few hundred truckers who haul cargo at the Port of Oakland and were among the last to order new particulate filters for their rigs now have until June 30 to comply with strict new state air quality regulations that took effect Jan. 1.

About 1,300 mostly independent drivers failed to get any of the $22 million in grant money awarded last year to put toward new diesel trucks or new diesel filters when the fund ran dry.

All drivers serving California ports are required to replace trucks manufactured before 1994 or install diesel filters on rigs manufactured from 1994-2003.

The filters trap up to 85 percent of dangerous diesel particulates that can get trapped in the lungs and cause cancer and severe respiratory problems for drivers and people living and working near busy ports.

Unlike last year's fund, which awarded drivers $50,000 toward the purchase of a new truck or paid the entire cost of a filter, minus sales tax, the new round of funding limited filter grants to $5,000, even though about $6 million was unspent and returned to the state.

Although filter types differ, an average cost is $16,000, and many of the drivers could not afford to pay the difference.

Several nonprofit lenders stepped forward and helped about 300 drivers get loans before a Feb. 5 deadline, but there are doubts whether the drivers will be able to keep up with the payments.

Those 300 drivers are being given more time to get their trucks upgraded, said Mary Fricke, spokeswoman for the state Air Resources Board. Drivers who were able to finance filter purchases privately last year have until April 30 to get the new equipment installed on their trucks. Key dates

• Jan. 1: New state air quality regulations took effect for trucks hauling at California ports.
• Jan. 8: Deadline for drivers who did not receive filter grants in 2009 to apply for new round of funding
• Feb. 5: Deadline to secure financing to bridge gap between grant amount and filter cost
• April 30: Deadline for filter installation for drivers who ordered filters in 2009
• June 30: Deadline for filter installation for drivers who ordered filters this year