NEW RELEASE: Expedock Launches FREIGHT AI AGENTS - FREYA & AI OUTLOOK AUTOMATION
As transportation remains the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for roughly 28 percent of the national total, freight forwarders are under mounting pressure to decarbonize their operations and meet customer sustainability targets. Unlike the EU, the U.S. has not yet implemented a carbon price on maritime emissions, but it is deploying a suite of regulatory initiatives, grant programs, and tax incentives that will reshape ocean-leg costs, port operations, drayage fleets, and emissions reporting.
Although the U.S. has no domestic maritime emissions trading system (ETS), American forwarders importing goods into the EU will bear pass-through carbon surcharges levied by carriers on cargo bound for European ports. Carriers are currently recovering ETS costs, now averaging around €80 per tonne CO₂, via line-item surcharges that can add 5% to 10% to ocean-freight rates and influence global spot-rate benchmarks. Forwarders therefore must anticipate rate volatility tied to European carbon markets even on U.S. export cargo streams.
Domestically, the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) regulation, which rates ships’ CO₂ emissions per transport work on a scale from A (best) to E (worst), with mandatory annual improvements mandated through 2030 will penalize high-emitting vessels with operational restrictions and potential port-state enforcement beginning in 2026. Forwarders should build flexible routing clauses into contracts and maintain real-time vessel performance data to adjust client expectations and optimize cost-to-carbon trade-offs.
Freight forwarders face intensifying regulatory headwinds that are beginning to reshape global and domestic shipping costs. In January 2024, the EU formally extended its Emissions Trading System (ETS) to cover maritime transport, requiring carriers to purchase allowances for 40 percent of emissions on voyages into and out of EU ports. That share rises to 100 percent by 2026. While the U.S. has not implemented its own carbon pricing, American forwarders with transatlantic cargo are already absorbing these ETS-driven surcharges, typically €80–100 per tonne CO₂, passed down as new line items by carriers. These charges are reshaping spot-rate baselines and introducing a new layer of cost volatility into transoceanic routing decisions.
Simultaneously, the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) have entered into force globally, with the CII requiring ships to achieve annual efficiency improvements through 2030. Ships rated “D” or “E” for consecutive years may face corrective measures or operational restrictions by port authorities starting in 2026. Though not a direct tax, these measures drive carriers to slow-steam, retrofit, or retire underperforming vessels, impacting schedule reliability and capacity availability for forwarders.
Domestically, regulatory scrutiny is rising as well. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is finalizing climate-disclosure rules that will require publicly traded shippers to disclose Scope 3 emissions, including those from freight. At the state level, California’s Advanced Clean Fleets rule mandates that all drayage trucks entering its ports be zero-emission by 2035, with new fleet purchases required to be zero-emission as early as 2024. Forwarders must closely track these overlapping regulatory frameworks to anticipate cost impacts, avoid compliance risks, and embed emissions metrics into client-facing service models.
EPA Clean Ports Program
In late 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded 54 grants totaling nearly $3 billion to U.S. ports for zero-emission equipment, shore-power installations, and air-quality planning under its Clean Ports Program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Key awards include $412 million to the Port of Los Angeles for electric top-handlers and $60 million to the Port of San Diego for electrifying drayage trucks and cargo-handling equipment. These investments will dramatically cut local emissions and can be leveraged by forwarders to offer truly low-carbon drayage solutionsto shippers.
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Tax Credits
The 2022 IRA provides tax credits and loan guarantees totaling $40 billion for clean-energy projects through 2026, with specific provisions that apply to freight infrastructure. For example:
By tapping IRA credits, medium-sized forwarders can significantly reduce the net cost of electrifying terminals, upgrading fleet vehicles, or investing in alternative fuel contracts, unlocking paybacks in 3–5 years rather than decades.
Accurate, U.S.-specific Scope 3 reporting is essential to capture the impact of Clean Ports grants and IRA-enabled projects. Key platforms include:
Selecting the right tool depends on your network footprint: EcoTransIT excels for ports and ocean calculations, CE-CERT for California-centric operations, and Pledge or Chain.io for seamless TMS integration and real-time reporting.
Partner with Carriers on Alternative-Fuel Tenders
Forwarders can aggregate client volumes to co-issue RFPs for bio-LNG, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for air-sea transshipment corridors, or e-fuel bunkering agreements. Although large buying alliances like ZEMBA focus on ocean e-fuels, regional forwarder consortia can foster demand for U.S.-produced renewable natural gas or green hydrogen blends, securing better pricing and preferential vessel slots.
Leverage Port Electrification
Align your drayage services with port-funded electrification projects. By contracting with carriers operating EPA-subsidized electric yard trucks and top-handlers at major hubs, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Seattle, you can package “zero-emission drayage” as a premium service. This approach requires developing data-sharing agreements with port authorities to verify equipment deployment and uptime.
Engage in Public-Private Coalitions
Join initiatives like the Getting to Zero Coalition (U.S. chapter) and CARB’s Pacific Coast Collaborative to pilot cleaner-engine trials, vessel speed-reduction programs, and emission-control technology seminars. These forums provide early access to federal/state grants, insights into regulatory roadmaps, and influence over policy design, ensuring your voice shapes future incentives.
Offer Co-Branded Sustainability Reporting
Publish annual or semi-annual “Green Logistics Reports” co-authored with port and carrier partners, detailing emissions reductions achieved through Clean Ports grants and IRA-enabled upgrades. Incorporate third-party verification (e.g., from DNV or Lloyd’s Register) to validate claim integrity and support client ESG disclosures under frameworks like CDP and the forthcoming SEC climate rules.
By proactively integrating regulatory intelligence, federal incentives, and advanced emissions-accounting tools, medium-sized forwarders can transform decarbonization from a cost center into a market differentiator. Key actions include:
As the U.S. freight ecosystem accelerates toward net zero, driven by EPA funding, IRA incentives, and IMO mandates, forwarders who lead on strategy, partnerships, and technology will claim premium market positions and deepen client loyalty. The time to plan, pilot, and scale decarbonization initiatives is now: those who hesitate risk margin erosion and reputational lag in a rapidly greening marketplace.
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