California Emissions Mandate Impacts Transportation

By Nancy Ross-Anderson, Loss Control Specialist

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is doing all they can to reduce emissions.

From moving and storage vehicles to buses, freight trucks and even agribusiness vehicles previously not required to comply, the CARB regulations require engines in heavy-duty vehicles to be upgraded or retrofitted. Regardless of where the vehicle is registered, all carriers hauling freight in California are required to comply.

Combine this with the lifting of Assembly Bill 5,[1] which changed the definition of who is considered an independent contractor (IC), and there’s even more pressure being put on an already taxed industry in California.

What you need to know based on your vehicle size

Complying with these new mandates depends on your vehicle’s Engine Model Year (EMY) and the truck’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). The chart below breaks down requirement deadlines to have a PM filter upgraded and installed based on a truck’s weight and year. Note that all vehicles with a 2010 EMY or newer are fully compliant.

EMY Schedule for Heavier Vehicles (>26,000 lbs.)[2]

Vehicles with an engine model year (EMY) of 2004 and earlier must have a particulate matter (PM) filter upgraded and installed by January 1, 2021.

By Nancy Ross-Anderson

Loss Control Specialist

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is doing all they can to reduce emissions.

From moving and storage vehicles to buses, freight trucks and even agribusiness vehicles previously not required to comply, the CARB regulations require engines in heavy-duty vehicles to be upgraded or retrofitted. Regardless of where the vehicle is registered, all carriers hauling freight in California are required to comply.