CARB offering free compliance seminar on Nov. 7

With a maze of rules in California making it difficult to stay compliant in the Golden State, the California Air Resources Board will be providing a free seminar discussing various trucking-related regulations.

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 7, truck drivers will have the chance to discuss CARB’s various trucking regulations with agency officials. The informational event is free and is intended for fleet managers and operators to learn about clean vehicle technology.

Topics to be discussed include Clean Truck Check, Advanced Clean Fleets, transport refrigeration unit (TRU) compliance, Truck Regulations Upload, Compliance, and Reporting System (TRUCRS) reporting and more. To register for the seminar in Santa Maria, Calif., click here.

Hosted by Donahue Truck Centers, CARB’s compliance seminar will take place at Body Shop Plus, located a 2046 S. Thornburg St. in Santa Maria. However, truckers may want to drive a passenger vehicle to the seminar. George O’Connor, director of communications at the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, expressed concerns over the location, as the area does not appear to be too accommodating to tractor-trailers.

“A quick Google search provides likely better options for reaching their target audience,” O’Connor said. “If they really wanted to hear from truckers, they’d actually make the simple effort of meeting their audience where they are.”

In addition to learning about staying compliant with CARB rules, seminar attendees will have access to vendors, food trucks and raffles.

Advanced Clean Fleets

The seminar will address one of the more controversial CARB regulations, Advanced Clean Fleets.

The Advanced Clean Fleets regulation requires certain fleets to move to zero-tailpipe-emission trucks with a phase-in timeline. Only drayage fleets, state/local agencies and high-priority fleets are affected by the regulation. High-priority fleets are those with 50 or more vehicles, fleets with more than $50 million in annual revenue, federal government fleets or entities that hire or dispatch fleets.

Although the rule went live last year, CARB has not been able to enforce it. California is still waiting to receive a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that is necessary to fully implement Advanced Clean Fleets. In December 2023, CARB issued an enforcement notice informing stakeholders that it will not enforce the regulation until it gets that waiver.

However, the agency has advised affected fleets that it will retroactively enforce the rule that went into effect in January. In other words, CARB could force a company to remove any internal combustion trucks acquired after January 2024, effectively putting the new regulations in full force despite CARB not having the authority to do so officially.

In the meantime, Advanced Clean Fleets faces numerous challenges. On Oct. 8, the Specialty Equipment Market Association filed the latest of several federal lawsuits challenging the regulation. And in August, A coalition of California Republican state lawmakers urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to hit the pause button on the rule after two separate fiery truck crashes involving lithium-ion batteries caused massive traffic disruptions.

Clean Truck Check

Clean Truck Check requires all trucks operating in California to submit emission inspections.

The regulation applies to nearly all diesel and alternative-fuel trucks weighing more than 14,000 pounds that operate on California public roads. That includes out-of-state trucks traveling in California. Zero-direct-emission trucks are exempt.

Beginning in January 2025, trucks will need to submit a passing emission compliance test. Those tests must be performed by a CARB-credentialed tester. Passing tests can be submitted up to 90 days before the vehicle’s compliance deadline.

Click here for more information.

TRU compliance

CARB also regulates transport refrigeration units, more commonly known as reefers.

Essentially, owners of refrigeration units are required to attach a compliance label to the trailer.  Like Clean Truck Check, this applies to all TRUs operating in California, regardless of where they are based.

Compliance labels are good for three years before they have to be renewed. A California court ruled that CARB is not allowed to collect fees for the label, so truckers are off the hook for paying for one for now.

More information about TRU compliance can be found here.

Truck Regulations Upload, Compliance, and Reporting System

The Truck Regulations Upload, Compliance, and Reporting System (TRUCRS) is a one-stop-shop for reporting requirements for several CARB regulations.

Among the regulations included in the TRUCRS are Advanced Clean Fleets and the Truck and Bus Regulation. A calendar for regulatory deadlines can be accessed here. LL