Air pollution is a crucial problem in California. The state is serious about regulating and enforcing environmental protection. Each month, truck operators are fined for non-compliance with hefty sums:
The penalty for not complying to retrofitting regulations or to the other rules in the Truck and Bus Regulation can be a fine of up to $1,000 per violation per day (CARB usually only enforces the fine once per month).
*You can consult CARB's case settlement page to find out more.
However, California Air Resources Board (CARB) has issued more than a dozen air pollution rules and regulations. This makes it difficult for fleet operators to make sure their vehicles are compliant. The regulations cover on-road and off-road, stationary as well as portable diesel engines. Frequently, fleets have to comply with three or more regulations.
Diesel Pollution Solutions' staff of experts in compliance will help you understand regulations. Our services are tailored for the type of vehicles you have and the type of business you're running.Our recommended solutions result in:
The Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection Program (HDVIP), the Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP), and The Truck and Bus Regulation are programs administered by California Air Resources Board (CARB), the clean air department within California Environmental Protection Agency. HDVIP was adopted into law in 1988, PSIP in 1990 and was implemented in 1996, and the Truck and Bus Regulation was approved in 2008.
The Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection Program (HDVIP) is a plan of roadside smoke opacity inspections performed by CARB, meant to ensure that vehicles respect reasonable standards of maintenance.
Opacity is the extent to which clarity of a background (for example, that of the sky) is reduced by smoke. In a vehicle, excessive smoke can be caused by malfunctioning engines or by their improper maintenance.
CARB's mission is to test heavy-duty trucks and buses (GVWR over 6,000 pounds) for excessive smoke and tampering. CARB can test any vehicle operating in California, even if it is registered in another state or country.
Roadside tests can be conducted without warning anywhere within California. For example, your truck could be tested in randomly picked roadside locations, fleet facilities, CHP weigh stations, or at border crossings.
Minimum penalties for trucks and buses owners found in violation start at $300 per violation.
*To read more about HDVIP you can access CARB's quick guide.
The Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP) is the procedure meant to monitor and control excessive air emissions and tampering from heavy-duty trucks and buses.
If you own and operate diesel fleets in California, you have to comply with the Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP). The program demands you or a smoke test facility monitor your vehicles' emissions by inspecting every year the smoke opacity (excessive smoke emission) of your vehicles and repairing the machines that display problems.
The Truck and Bus Regulation puts into action measures meant to substantially reduce PM and oxides of nitrogen emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles. Many engines currently operating are too old and inadequate. Vehicles equipped with such engines have issues and need to be updated.