Counties shaded green or counties cross-hatched are “NOx-exempt” counties, in which trucks may be able to run in 2014 without having to retrofit their trucks with DPFs, if a CARB proposal is finalized in April.Fleets have until Jan. 31 to report any “good faith” efforts toward compliance of the California Air Resources Board’s Truck and Bus Rule that would earn them a delay until July 1 to comply with the emissions regulations.
As it stands, fleets with more than three trucks registered with CARB must retrofit 2005-2006 model engines with particulate matter filters, but truck owners can receive the 5-month extension if they have:
- An agreement with an authorized installer for a particulate matter filter retrofit.
- Signed a purchase contract and ordered a replacement truck equipped with a particulate matter filter (engines must be 2007 model or newer)
- Approved or denied financing for a retrofit particulate matter filter or for a replacement truck equipped with a particulate matter filter
Truck owners who have taken these steps can use the CARB TRUCRS system to report. Click here to learn more.
CARB announced in December possible exemptions for trucks running solely into and out of NOx-exempt areas in the state, which are areas where the amount of NOx in the air is below federal requirements.
The proposal however will not be finalized until April, so owners still must either be compliant or file for a good faith extension by Friday.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association filed a lawsuit against CARB in December, saying the retrofit is unconstitutional, violating the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution, along with unnecessarily costly for truck owners.
