CARB mandates twice-a-year smog inspections
Twice-a-year smog inspections are now required of big trucks and buses operating in California.
The California Air Resources Board has created a “smog check” regulation for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses to ensure emissions control systems remain efficient as the vehicle ages.
Although heavy-duty vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 14,000 pounds comprise only 3% of all vehicles on California roads, according to a CARB news release, they are responsible for more than 50% of nitrogen oxides and fine particle diesel pollution from all mobile sources in the state.
Eventually, trucks with on-board diagnostics must have smog inspections four times a year.
CARB was ordered to develop and implement a comprehensive heavy-duty vehicle smog inspection and maintenance program in 2019 by SB210, which was sponsored by Sen. Connie Leyva. She is an ex-officio member of CARB.
“Just as passenger vehicles have already been doing for decades, it is long overdue that big diesel trucks undergo smog check testing so that we can continue to clean our air and improve public health across California,” Levya said in the news release.
Heavy-duty vehicle registration in California will require passing the inspection, as with passenger cars and light-duty trucks. Unlike light-duty vehicle smog checks, however, heavy-duty vehicles aren’t required to visit a brick and mortar smog check station.
Instead, heavy-duty vehicle owners can complete the required test and deliver the information remotely without having to stop at designated testing locations.
For telematics users with an onboard diagnostics inspection that draws emissions control performance data from the vehicle’s internal computer, an inspection can be completed automatically without taking the vehicle out of operation.
CARB has required onboard diagnostics systems on heavy-duty vehicles since 2013. Older vehicles without on-board diagnostic systems must continue the current opacity testing requirements, with an added visual testing component, twice each year.
Officials plan to continue random inspections and testing at border crossings, California Highway Patrol weigh stations, fleet facilities and randomly selected roadside locations. LL