The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and clean transportation nonprofit CALSTART have launched two incentive programmes worth a combined US$45 million to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission trucks, terminal tractors and charging infrastructure at the Port of New York and New Jersey. The programmes are scheduled to begin this autumn.
The Clean Truck Incentive (CTI) Programme will provide up to US$39 million in point-of-sale vouchers for operators purchasing zero-emission drayage trucks, yard tractors and associated charging infrastructure. The initiative is designed to lower the upfront cost of transitioning from conventional diesel equipment to electric alternatives.
A separate US$5 million Green Drayage Accelerator (GDA) will support the development of up to five electric truck charging hubs located within 10 miles of the Port Authority’s seaport and marine terminal facilities. The hubs are intended to provide high-capacity charging closer to the port and address one of the main barriers to wider electric truck adoption.
CALSTART will design and administer both programmes and is expected to conduct outreach with the port’s trucking community before applications begin. The organisation will also establish tracking dashboards monitoring vehicle deployment, performance and charger utilisation, with the systems scheduled to be transferred to the Port Authority in 2028.
The programmes form part of the Port Authority’s wider net-zero emissions strategy, which targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. They build on existing initiatives supporting cleaner drayage fleets and follow the opening of an electric truck charging facility at Port Newark, which features four fast chargers.
The new incentives are being funded through the Port Authority’s US$451 million US Environmental Protection Agency Clean Ports Programme grant, its largest sustainability grant. The wider funding package also supports electric cargo-handling equipment at marine terminals and shore-power infrastructure that will allow container vessels to connect to electricity while berthed.
The Port Authority said the measures are intended to make zero-emission equipment more financially accessible for trucking companies while improving air quality in communities around the port and along major freight corridors. The port recorded significant reductions in major pollutants between 2006 and 2024 even as cargo volumes increased substantially.
For the container logistics sector, the combination of vehicle purchase incentives and nearby charging infrastructure could accelerate electrification of port drayage operations, while helping the Port of New York and New Jersey advance its longer-term emissions targets.