A bill designed to encourage intermodal freight truckers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to move loads during off-peak hours is now law in California.

The bill, AB2024, which earlier passed the Assembly 55-25, passed the Senate Aug. 24 by a vote of 24-13. A day later, the Assembly voted 57-19 to concur with the Senate’s amendments. It was signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Sept. 30.

Introduced by Assembly Member Rudy Bermúdez, D-Norwalk, the law requires the ports, working with the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, to develop a plan that would encourage port terminals, railroads, trucks and distribution centers to increase off-peak hour traffic.

The bill lists several goals that it says would be achieved by the move:

• Reduced emissions from trucks involved in intermodal freight;
• Reduced truck idling;
• More attention paid to equipment maintenance;
• Better port and cargo security;
• Streamlined freight movement; and
• More accurate identification of cargo at port terminals.

The new law requires the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to “to evaluate changes to the goods movement network” that would reduce congestion, and “to collect statistics regarding compliance with federal, state, and local efforts to achieve certain related objectives.”

In addition, the ports will have to report to the state government by Jan. 31, 2005, and annually after that date, on the progress of their efforts.