January 2009
AT&T Business Solutions and WebTech Wireless Inc. have teamed up to help the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach improve air quality.
Under the terms of the agreement, AT&T Business Solutions and WebTech will provide a wireless vehicle tracking and monitoring solution that supports the ports' Clean Trucks Program.
The initial phase of the tracking system includes the installation of 600 WebTech Locators in new trucks and is available immediately to program applicants.
The technology and services from AT&T Business Solutions and WebTech comprise an innovative solution the ports are deploying in support of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Trucks Program, a major air-quality improvement program.
The solution employs WebTech Locators, using GPS and General Packet Radio Service technology, to track newly replaced port drayage trucks equipped with low-emission engines.
Supported by state funds and cargo fees, the ports are providing financial assistance for clean replacement trucks, with the requirement that truck owners use the vehicles only in California and work a minimum number of times in the ports.
The devices send vehicle location and diagnostics data over AT&T Mobility's wireless network to WebTech's Web-based Quadrant fleet-management system.
Quadrant monitors miles driven within specified geographic boundaries (geo-fences) and data such as idling time and fuel consumption, which enables the ports to quantify the pollution avoided and determine the cost-effectiveness of the program.
The solution will facilitate the ability to have lower-emitting drayage trucks serve the ports and ensure that truck owners and operators comply with the requirements of the Clean Trucks Program.
Additionally, the monitoring system facilitates compliance by participating trucks and employees with port security and public safety standards.
"This initiative reinforces our commitment to provide innovative solutions that enable our customers to increase efficiency and productivity while also reducing carbon emissions," said Denita Willoughby, Vice President, AT&T External Affairs of the Greater Los Angeles area.
"AT&T is proud to work with the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach on this effort to help reduce emissions and improve air quality in the region."
Under the leadership of L.A. City Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, the Clean Trucks Program is the centerpiece of the nation's most ambitious seaport air-pollution cleanup initiative, which banned 10 percent of port trucks — or 2,000 "dirty diesel" trucks in October 2008.
By 2012, the program will ban and replace as many as 16,000 dirty diesel trucks serving the ports.
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