No Big Rigs on I-580

The Truck Ban

the Truck Ban has been in place for over 70 years –
Now corporate interests (CTA) are pushing to overturn it

MAP

Note that the existing I-580 truck ban has the effect of also banning through trucks on Highway 13. Lifting the ban would open up Highway 13 to big rig trucks and would increase truck traffic on other highways as indicated in yellow on the map

Region-Wide Effects of Lifting Truck Ban

History

  • 1951: Truck Traffic Prohibited on MacArthur Blvd, the eventual footprint of I-580.
  • 1963: I-580 Construction – Oakland City Ordinance #6789 prohibits trucks exceeding 4.5 tons on I-580 from Grand Ave. to San Leandro. Ban set to expire in 1968.
  • 1967: Caltrans reaffirms ban on basis of adequate alternative route: 880/238. Caltrans reviewed the ban periodically until 1972, when it determined further review was unnecessary.
  • 1990: California Trucking Association (CTA) proposed ban be lifted. Defeated by local opposition. CTA kept up the pressure on the State Legislature.
  • 2000: State legislature codified truck ban as CVC 35655.5
  • 2025: CTA maintains lobbying pressure. Caltrans awards contract to Fehr and Peers (The Caltrans Truck Ban Study) to evaluate the effects of overturning the truck ban.

Status

  • The current ban on large trucks on I-580 has been in place since before the freeway was opened to traffic.
  • The California Trucking Association (CTA) continues to lobby for the ban to be lifted.
  • In 2017, AB 617 was signed into law and directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and all local air districts, including the Bay Area Air District (BAAD), to take measures to protect communities disproportionally impacted by air pollution from trucks and other sources (e.g. manufacturing, power generation, port operations, etc.)
  • In 2021, responding to continued CTA pressure and the requirements of AB 617, Caltrans and BAAD proposed a study to determine how removal of the truck ban would impact traffic along the I-880 and I-580 corridors, and other affected highways, and how this change would impact public health equity for the identified AB 617 communities. This study, the “Truck Access Study,” was awarded to Fehr and Peers in 2025. It is currently underway and is scheduled to be completed in late 2026/early 2027. See Caltrans Truck Ban Study .