American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles, et al.

Case Updates

The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Ninth Circuit and held that the FAAAA expressly preempts the port program's requirements that a company develop an off-street parking plan and display designated placards on its vehicles. The Court declined to decide whether the financial capacity and truck maintenance requirements were preempted.

NCLC urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the decision of the Ninth Circuit, which erroneously held that the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAAA) does not preempt the truck concession portion of the Los Angeles Port's “Clean Truck Program”. NCLC explained in its amicus brief that even though the FAAAA expressly bars state and local governments from imposing their own regulations on interstate trucking, the Ninth Circuit claimed that the Port could impose rules on trucks transporting shipping containers because the Port was allegedly acting as a “market participant” in its capacity as a “landlord,” rather than as a regulator. NCLC's amicus brief argued that the Ninth Circuit's far-reaching opinion could have implications far beyond the trucking industry. NCLC explained that the plain text of the FAAAA includes no such market participation exception, nor should the courts be empowered to judicially graft such exceptions onto statutes whenever the courts see fit. Moreover, NCLC argued, the Port is clearly operating in a regulatory rather than market capacity. NCLC’s brief warned that if the Ninth Circuit’s decision is upheld, then express-preemption provisions in the FAAAA and other federal statutes will be easily circumvented.

Click here to view the Chamber's brief.