Emissions from heavy‐duty trucks at the San Diego‐Tijuana Border crossing

Abstract

The volume of heavy‐duty trucks crossing the U.S.‐Mexican border has increased dramatically as trade restrictions between the two countries have been reduced. As volume and delay at the border increases, so do total emissions. However, very little information is available regarding the level of emissions resulting from trucks crossing the border. In this paper, the results of a survey of trucks crossing the border from Mexico in to the United States at Otay Mesa is described. The fleet of trucks and delay patterns are characterized by day‐of‐week and time‐of‐day. This information is then used to calculate total emissions of hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM). The study indicates that while emissions from trucks at the border crossing are negligible compared to total emissions within San Diego County, they are significant within the regions adjacent to the border.

Notes

Kazimi is in the Department of Economics, San Diego State University; Cuamea is in the Department of Economics, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California; Alvarez is Rector of the Universidad Tecnológica de Tijuana; Sweedler is director of the Center for Energy Studies, San Diego State University; and Fertig is a consultant in Tempe, Arizona.