CARB adopts smog control regulation for trucks and buses – Fuel Smarts

The California Air Resources Board has approved a regulation that would require some owners of medium and heavy trucks and buses to inspect their vehicles’ emission control systems twice a year.

The heavy-duty inspection and maintenance program will deploy a statewide network of highway emissions monitors to detect high-emission trucks, starting with the San Joaquin Valley and South Coast and extending over time. It will also require vehicles with a gross weight rating over 14,000 pounds operated in California to perform periodic testing and submit data to CARB.

As with passenger cars and light trucks, California registration of these heavier vehicles will require passing an emission control system inspection. Unlike light smog checks, however, it is not necessary to go to a “brick and mortar” heavy smog checkpoint.

Heavy vehicle owners will be able to perform the required test and provide the information remotely without having to travel to designated test locations. For telematics users, an on-board diagnostic inspection that extracts emission control performance data from the vehicle’s internal computer, an inspection can be performed automatically without taking the vehicle out of service. OBD systems have been required by CARB on heavy-duty vehicles since 2013. Older heavy-duty vehicles without on-board diagnostic systems would continue current opacity testing requirements with an additional visual test component, twice a year.

The heavy vehicle inspection program will continue to increase new testing requirements with random inspections and testing at border crossings, California Highway Patrol weigh stations, fleet facilities and roadside locations. randomly selected route.

The settlement plans to cover approximately 1 million heavy trucks and buses operating in California. Although these vehicles represent 3% of all vehicles on California roads, they are responsible for over 50% of nitrogen oxides and fine particulate diesel pollution from all mobile sources in the state. CARB officials said in a press release.

By 2037, the program is expected to reduce NOx and diesel particulate pollution by 82 tonnes per day. CARB has also ordered a test frequency of four times a year for trucks with on-board diagnostics to be phased in over time.

The program is estimated at $ 4 billion. CARB officials say the program is expected to generate $ 75 billion in health benefits, prevent 7,500 air quality-related deaths and 6,000 hospitalizations and emergency room visits from 2023 to 2050.

The new program implements SB 210, drafted by California Senator and CARB ex-officio member Connie Leyva in 2019. It will also include independent owners / operators who were exempt from the current periodic smoke inspection program. .