Operating a Single-Building Warehouse in Southern, CA? Your Guide to Indirect Source Rule 2035 (ISR) Compliance

Since southern California’s air quality has reached a critical point, everyone, including the logistics industry, is expected to do their part. Trucks traveling to and from warehouses contribute significantly to smog and harmful emissions, moving the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) to implement the Warehouse Indirect Source Rule (ISR), also known as Rule 2305, to address this issue.

If the whole situation has you feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. While the Indirect Source Rule 2035 (ISR) can seem complex, it is manageable using the right approach. With that in mind, the following will break down the ISR and highlight how two leading technologies, NavTrac and Opendock, can simplify compliance to save you time and money.

Understanding the ISR: What Warehouses Need to Know

The Warehouse Indirect Source Rule applies to single-building warehouses in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties—and as of July 1, 2024, that includes warehouses between 100,000 and 150,000 ft.². It’s being actively enforced and can come with hefty fines if violated. Warehouses are considered indirect sources of pollution because of the truck traffic they generate, and under the ISR, warehouse operators must comply.

Compliance Requirements

The ISR uses a system that requires warehouse operators to earn WAIRE (Warehouse Actions and Investments to Reduce Emissions) points, which are used to offset the emissions their trucks generate. Your points demonstrate the steps your warehouse is taking to offset pollution, and the number of points you need to earn annually is determined by your WAIRE Points Compliance Obligation (WPCO). This is calculated based on your truck trip activity and a stringency factor currently set at 0.0025, multiplied by your WATTS (Warehouse Activity Trip Units per Single Source). Each year, on January 31, you need to submit an Annual WAIRE Report (AWR) that details the WAIRE points you earned the previous year.

So how do you earn your points? By demonstrating what you’ve done to reduce emissions. This could include:

• Upgrading trucks to cleaner models
• Investing in on-site, clean energy sources
• Optimizing warehouse logistics to reduce truck idling and empty trips
• Partnering with carriers committed to clean transportation practices

As far as the administrative side of things goes, the good news is that while managing your Warehouse Indirect Source Rule compliance may sound like a complex task, with the right tools and the right partners, it doesn’t have to be.

NavTrac: Your Warehouse’s Best Friend for Compliance and Efficiency

NavTrac offers a comprehensive solution that not only helps warehouses achieve their ISR compliance but also optimizes operations — potentially leading to additional WAIRE points. Here are a few key features:

Effortless data collection for accurate reporting: Manually tracking your truck trips is time-consuming and can be prone to error. NavTrac can integrate with your WMS or operate independently, capturing data like the number of incoming and outgoing truck trips, truck type, and arrival and departure times. This will eliminate manual data entry and ensure accurate information for calculating your WATTS.

Real-time visibility into truck activity: NavTrac provides a user-friendly dashboard that offers real-time insights into your truck traffic patterns. With it, you can easily see your daily, weekly, and monthly truck trip volumes, the distribution of your truck types, and peak traffic periods. This will allow you to identify areas for improvement and then implement targeted strategies to help you reduce truck idling and empty trips — potentially translating into lower emissions and more WAIRE points.

Actionable insights for strategic WAIRE point accumulation: NavTrac’s advanced analytics go beyond basic recording. It can help you analyze your truck traffic patterns and identify opportunities to earn more WAIRE points using strategies within the AQMD's WAIRE menu.

Simplified WAIRE point tracking and reporting: NavTrac gives you the right data in the right format to fill your Annual Waire Report (AWR). It allows you to easily track your earned WAIRE points and monitor your progress toward WPCO compliance. It eliminates the need for manual data entry and ensures your reporting to the AQMD is timely and accurate.

With NavTrac, you’re assured of compliance and confidence despite the somewhat daunting ISR and its WAIRE points system. By providing you with automated data collection, real-time insights, and recommendations for WAIRE point accumulation, NavTrac will simplify compliance and help you achieve a more sustainable warehouse operation. 

Opendock for Enhanced ISR Compliance

While NavTrac uses cameras to optimize truck traffic and data collection, Opendock supports ISR compliance through its gate management solution.  This allows drivers with an Opendock appointment to use self check in via QR code or on a facility device.  During this process drivers input their truck equipment information used for ISR reporting.

Opendock will streamline your warehouse operations by optimizing your dock scheduling process. It will also help facilitate better communication and collaboration between warehouses and carriers.

Bringing It All Together

Don’t let ISR compliance become a burden. Partner with NavTrac to automate your data collection, optimize logistics, and strategically earn WAIRE points. Take your warehouse’s dock efficiency one step further with Opendock. Then breathe easy, knowing you’re doing your part to contribute to cleaner air while creating a more efficient and compliant warehouse operation.