Industry Wire

CARB Delays Consideration of Amendments to Truck and Bus Rule

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has delayed the date at which they will consider amendments to both the Heavy Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Measure (the SmartWay mandate) and the Truck and Bus Regulation. CARB was originally scheduled to consider amendments to both rules at their Board of Directors meeting on April 22, 2010, but that has now been pushed back to “late summer 2010,” CARB said in a regulatory advisory. The Truck and Bus rule applies to vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 14,000 pounds, which will require a phase-in of performance requirements aimed at reducing particulate matter (PM) and NOx emissions from diesel engines. The phase-in will happen between 2011 and 2013 that will ultimately force fleets to be operating model year 2010 or newer trucks by 2023. Any person, business, school district, or federal government agency that owns, operates, leases or rents affected vehicles in California must comply with the rule. Out of state trucks that operate in California must also comply with the regulation.

The SmartWay mandate applies to model-year 2011 53-foot trailers and model-year 2011 tractors that pull them. The regulation ultimately phases in a requirement to use SmartWay certified aerodynamic technologies and/or low-rolling-resistance tires across all model-year 2011 53-foot trailers and the tractors pulling them. Like the Truck and Bus Rule, the SmartWay mandate applies to any person, business, school district, or federal government agency that owns, operates, leases or rents affected vehicles in California must comply with the rule. Out of state trucks and trailers that operate in California must also comply with the regulation.

California’s Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved the Truck and Bus rule and the SmartWay mandate on December 9, 2009, the same day that the CARB Board of Directors directed their staff to propose amendments to the rules due to the fact that the global recession has lead to lower than expected emissions levels. Proposed amendments from staff to the CARB Board would aim to help fleet owners affected by the downturn in the economy, and will be presented at the meeting to that will take place later this summer.

Until any amendments are adopted by CARB, both the SmartWay mandate and the Truck and Bus Rule still apply. Please click here to see a summary of CARB’s compliance options for the Truck and Bus rule in its current form. A summary of provisions for small fleet owners to meet the rule in its current form can be seen here. Click here to see a summary of CARB’s compliance options for the SmartWay mandate in its current form. A summary of provisions for small fleet owners to meet the Smartway mandate in its current form can be seen here. TRALA will notify our members if changes to the CARB Truck and Bus Rule or the SmartWay mandate are adopted following the CARB Board of Directors meeting later this summer.

Click here to see a copy of the Regulatory Advisory from CARB announcing the schedule for proposed amendments.