EPA fines pair of mega-fleet carriers for violating California emissions rules

Two mega-fleet carriers operating in California have settled with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for violating air emissions laws. With combined penalties, the companies will pay about $800,000.

On Nov. 1, the EPA announced settlements with Green Bay, Wis.-based Schneider National and Thomasville, N.C.-based Old Dominion Freight Line for violating California’s Truck and Bus Regulation. Together, the companies will pay $225,000 in penalties and spend $575,000 on air filtration systems at schools in the Los Angeles metro area, according to a news release.

Both companies failed to install particulate filters on trucks. Furthermore, they failed to verify that trucks they hired for use in California complied with state regulations. California emissions rules passed in 2012 require trucks in California to meet 2010 engine emissions levels or use diesel particulate filters that can reduce the emissions of diesel particulates into the atmosphere by 85 percent or more.

According to the EPA, Schneider operated 150 trucks in California from 2013 to 2016 without DPFs and failed to verify that nearly 1,200 of the carriers it hired in the state complied with regulations. Schneider will pay a $125,000 penalty and spend $350,000 on air filtration projects at schools near Los Angeles freeways.

Old Dominion had 117 trucks on California roads during the same time frame while failing to verify compliance for 64 carriers hired in the state. The company will pay a $100,000 penalty and contribute $225,000 to air filtration projects at schools.

“California’s Truck and Bus Rule is providing the emissions reductions necessary to help meet federal air quality standards,” Todd Sax, California Air Resources Board Enforcement Chief, said in a statement. “This settlement shows that all fleets operating in California, including national fleets based in other states, must comply with regulatory requirements.”

Approximately eight schools in the Los Angeles and Rialto areas receive funding for air filtration systems from EPA Truck and Bus rule settlements. The filtration systems reduce exposure to ultrafine particulate matter and black carbon emitted from trucks operating on nearby highways, according to the news release.