What Fleets Need To Know About California's Warehouse Indirect Source Rule
Federal and state regulations are pushing equipment manufacturers and fleets to pursue lower-emission heavy-duty vehicles, and Rule 2305 in California is among the requirements that could affect fleets operating in the state.
Rule 2305 — also known as the Warehouse Actions and Investments to Reduce Emissions (WAIRE) Program or the Warehouse Indirect Source Rule (ISR) — requires warehouse operators to track and record every truck coming in and out of the facility to monitor the indirect emissions coming from the trucks that visit their locations.
Every time a nonzero truck enters their facility, warehouses can face a penalty. Tractors and tractor-trailers are weighted 2.5 times higher than smaller, straight trucks due to their higher emissions, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Truck trips are defined as one-way trips that tractors and straight trucks make to a warehouse facility when delivering goods to or from another location.
Warehouse operators can offset diesel truck visits and reduce fees by implementing emission-reduction activities, such as using electric yard tractors and adding zero-emission truck trips to the site, which earn them points. Warehouse operators are required to earn a specific number of points every year based on the number of truck trips made to and from the warehouse each year. As a result, warehouse owners and operators may put pressure on fleets to use low- or zero-emission vehicles when visiting their locations.
The rule is designed to reduce NOx and diesel emissions and reduce air pollution in the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which includes Orange County, western San Bernardino County, western Riverside County including the Coachella Valley, and southern Los Angeles County.
SCAQMD has taken a phased in approach with the rule. The largest warehouses — those that are 250,000 square feet and above— had to file their annual WAIRE report by Jan. 31, 2023. Facilities between 150,000 and 250,000 square feet had to file their report by Jan. 31, 2024, and facilities between 100,000 and 150,000 will have to file their annual report by Jan. 31, 2025. The due date for submitting an Initial Site Information Report for Phase 3 warehouses is July 2, 2024.
Penske Truck Leasing has a wide range of low- and zero-emission vehicles that can help warehouse operators or fleets serving facilities within the South Coast Air Quality Management District. To learn more about available options, contact us today.