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Feb 15, 2008 3:29 PM

Since January 2007, California enforcement officers have issued 1,465 citations with $800 fines after inspecting 5,050 trucks for worn or missing emission compliance labels or engine data plates, reports the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA).

Truck owners were given 45 days to obtain a new label, and the entire fine was dropped. However, beginning February 15, missing emission labels require at least a $300 fine in California, even if truck owners replace the labels within 45 days, OOIDA said.

Emission compliance labels typically are made of plastic or metal and are attached to the engine by the manufacturer at the time of production. In addition to identifying the date and place the engines were built, the labels state that the engines met Environmental Protection Agency and California emission requirements for the years they were manufactured.