CARB mandates truck exhaust retrofit

Dec. 19, 2008
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has adopted two regulations to require truck owners to install diesel exhaust filters on their rigs, with nearly all vehicles upgraded by 2014

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has adopted two regulations to require truck owners to install diesel exhaust filters on their rigs, with nearly all vehicles upgraded by 2014.

Owners also must replace engines older than the 2010 model year according to a staggered implementation schedule that extends from 2012 to 2022.

In addition, long-haul truckers will be required to install fuel efficient tires and aerodynamic devices on their trailers that lower greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy.

According to the CARB information, $1 billion will be available in state grants and loan programs to help truckers and business owners comply with the regulations. Options include Carl Moyer grants, which are designated for early or surplus compliance with diesel regulations; Proposition 1B funds, for air quality improvements related to goods movement; and AB 118, which establishes a low-cost truck loan program to help pay for early compliance with the truck rule.

In addition, CARB is evaluating ways to integrate the programs so that truckers can get a grant and a loan at the same time.

The diesel regulation is structured so that owners can choose from among three compliance options to meet regulation requirements. There are exceptions to the regulation, including low-use vehicles, emergency and military vehicles, and personal use motor homes. School buses would be subject only to requirements for reducing diesel particulate matter and not for engine replacement.

"Because of new engine standards established in 2001, diesel engines operating in California have been getting cleaner, but they are not getting clean fast enough to meet air quality goals," CARB said. "With the new state bus and truck rule in place, by 2014, diesel emissions will be 68 percent lower than they would be without the regulation, while emissions of the smog-forming pollutant NOx (oxides of nitrogen) will be 25 percent lower."