Port of Oakland continues conversion from diesel to electric trucks

The Port of Oakland said Tuesday it has moved forward with its plan to phase out diesel-powered freight hauling, announcing that trucking firm Impact Transportation has turned to battery-powered big rigs.

Oakland, Calif.-based Impact Transportation used a $175,000 state grant to purchase a twin-axle tractor - known as a yard hostler - which is used to shuttle cargo through the port depot, the firm said Tuesday.

Impact operates three hostlers in all to move freight ranging from wine to helicopters. The new yard hostler runs for 12 hours on its 80-kilowatt-hour battery, charging during operations and plugging in overnight. The vehicle may also see double duty retrieving cargo containers from Port of Oakland marine terminals, the firm said.

Impact's purchase marks the second freight hauler at the port to convert its diesel power units to electrical power, following Oakland-based GSC Logistics' announcement in February that it had introduced an all-electric truck. That rig transports cargo between Oakland marine terminals and GSC's container yard at the site.

Port leaders say that additional electric power conversions are scheduled to come on line by 2020, thanks to future government grants. They include Shippers Transport Express, which plans to get 10 zero-emission, battery-powered trucks to haul containers, and SSA, which will acquire five zero-emission yard trucks to shuttle containers within its Matson marine terminal.