SAN FRANCISCO – A federal judge has denied a trucking association’s bid to block an effort to ban older trucks from entering the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The decision by Judge Christina Snyder allows the clean truck program to move forward, despite objections from the American Trucking Associations, according to www.sfgate.com.

The industry group asked the judge to halt the program, arguing it placed unfair restrictions on truckers. Snyder wrote that she denied the request because of the program’s safety and environmental benefits.

The program aims to reduce diesel emissions at the nation’s busiest cargo container complex by as much as 80 percent by replacing nearly 17,000 trucks built before 1989 with newer, cleaner models. The program is scheduled to begin Oct. 1.