The introduction of a bill in California’s state Senate would require Class 4-8 trucks to pass certain test procedures if they register or even operate in California.
SB210, or the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspections and Maintenance Program bill, was introduced by Sen. Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino), calls for the creation of test procedures for different Class 4-8 model years and emissions control technologies that “measure the effectiveness of the control of emissions of oxides of nitrogen and particulate matter.”
This, reports Heavy duty Trucking, could include, but is not limited to, using onboard diagnostics system data and test procedures that capture how effectively greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
The bill also calls for a database to be created to collect and track the data, which would be assessed for compliance and transmitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles to verify if a truck is eligible to register for use on California roads. Any fees collected would then be placed in a newly created Truck Emission Check Fund and used for the regulatory purposes of the program, while penalties would be deposited in the Air Pollution Control Fund.
According to a pamphlet published by the California Air Resources Board’s Heavy-Duty Diesel Enforcement Program, the state’s Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection Program already tests trucks and buses with a gross vehicle rating over 6,000 pounds for excessive smoke and tampering. These tests can be performed unannounced and include testing the vehicle’s rpm at idle and at maximum speed, placing a smoke sensing meter just above or inside the vehicle’s exhaust pipe, checking the engine for visible signs of tampering, recording engine data, and ensuring the engine has the appropriate emission control label.
The bill has yet to make it past the introduction stage.
Full HDT article here.