Port of Charleston offers truckers retrofit funds

A new initiative from the Port of Charleston will allow truck owners who serve the port to apply for a rebate to cover part of the cost of retrofitting their vehicles with emissions-reducing and fuel-saving technologies.

Funded partially through an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant received by the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA), the program allows truck owners to apply for rebates for either idle-reduction programs or retrofit projects, covering technologies such as auxiliary power units and smaller generators.

“Through this collaborative grant program, it’s much more affordable and accessible for truckers to upgrade their equipment,” said John F. Hassell III, interim president & CEO of the SCSPA. “These technologies not only improve fuel use and cut costs of running the trucks, they also reduce air emissions, providing a broader environmental benefit to the entire community.”

Applications are available online and will be accepted through March 30, 2009. The project is part of a broader $1.7-million grant from EPA to SCSPA to reduce port-related emissions.