The American Association of Port Authorities, which represents more than 140 of the nation’s major ports, has decided to oppose efforts by a handful of members to lobby federal officials to do away with portions of federal trucking deregulation laws. The decision, approved by the AAPA’s government policy committee, goes against current lobbying efforts by AAPA member ports in Los Angeles, New Jersey-New York and Oakland that seek to change portions of the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994. The FAAAA prohibited state and local entities from passing laws or regulations that affect rates, routes and services of interstate trucking. Officials in Los Angeles have already allocated $265,000 to lobby Congress to change the FAAAA to allow local authorities to regulate trucking firms when it comes to truck security, safety and environmental impact. The move by Los Angeles, Oakland and NJ/NY is to one degree an effort to circumvent successful legal challenges by the American Trucking Associations to the Los Angeles port’s trucking re-regulation program.
