California Approves $250 Million Clean Commercial Truck Voucher Grants for Freight Operators

SACRAMENTO, CA — The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved a $250 million supplemental funding infusion into the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), offering point-of-sale purchase discounts up to $150,000 for zero-emission Class 8 commercial drayage trucks operating around the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland.

Decarbonizing Freight Corridors and Improving Air Quality

The funding allocation specifically reserves 60% of all voucher capital for independent owner-operators and small fleets with fewer than 10 trucks, helping small trucking businesses comply with the state's Advanced Clean Fleets regulation. CARB modeling indicates the newly funded electric and fuel-cell trucks will eliminate 420,000 metric tons of diesel particulate emissions along Interstate 710 and Central Valley freight routes over the next decade.

Governor Gavin Newsom and CARB leadership affirmed that California will support small trucking businesses with direct capital incentives while eliminating toxic diesel exhaust in port-adjacent communities.

Trucking Industry Support and Charging Infrastructure

The California Trucking Association commended the dedicated small-fleet funding carve-out, while highlighting the need for accelerated commercial megawatt charging corridor buildouts.

Environmental health federations in the Inland Empire praised the air-quality relief for respiratory illness hot spots.

Application Portal Schedule

The updated small-fleet voucher application portal opens through participating commercial truck dealerships on October 1, 2026.