A trucking association challenging the Clean Trucks Program at the Port of Los Angeles argued Tuesday that a provision banning independent drivers will “dramatically change how work is done at the port.”

The port, however, defended its disputed program in federal court, insisting it’s necessary to ensure that the docks are no longer the place “where old trucks go to die.”

Both sides squared off on the first day of trial in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles before Judge Christina Snyder, who will decide whether the Port of Los Angeles can legally limit the types of drivers entering terminals.

The American Trucking Associations has requested a permanent injunction to block the port’s concession agreements, including a provision that would require freight haulers to hire employee drivers rather than independent owner-operators by 2013.

&#8226 Read the full Daily Breeze story.