"There will be no Christmas for us this year," this was said by Romero the President of port drivers association. The new clean-air guideline that comes into effect at the ports on Jan 1st is what has made him say this. The new clean-air guideline will be prohibiting all pre-1994 trucks and 1994-2003 rigs that have not been retrofitted with pricey diesel particulate filters.

The bans are part of the highly appreciated "clean trucks" initiative. The authorities say that they have already cut poisonous emissions about 70% since its introduction in October 2008 at the nation's busiest harbor complex. At the same time the state clean-air regulation are into effect from Jan. 1.

Many praise the move toward greener technology in the so-called diesel alley corridor of south L.A. County, where port pollution has been blamed for eminent cancer rates, widespread asthma and other health diseases. Ports countrywide are considering similar bans.

Some guess that the ban will be refusing more than 5,000 truckers from entering the main source of service but no one knows it for sure. Many, truckers are already staggering from the effects of the recession.

A group of truckers protested very strongly earlier this month in Los Angeles. But officials say that they are helpless.

"This is hitting us hard," said Nelson Romero, president of the National Port Drivers Assn. The group that said this has more than 1,000 members and they are eagerly waiting to extend the Jan. 1 deadline. "It's not fair that everything falls on us."

"We do sympathize with these guys -- everyone's struggling to hold on to a job these days," said Art Wong, a spokesman for the Port of Long Beach. "But the public health risk here is so great that we need to move ahead with this ban on the trucks."

Most of them were aware of the future ban for more than a year. "I don't think I could have afforded a new truck without the government's help," said Alejandro Flores, 45, who used a government grant to buy a 2009 rig that runs on liquefied natural gas.Only a few of them own new vehicles with latest technology and a majority do not have enough money for the monthly payments, even with subventions.