Comment Log Display

Dear Governor Schwarzeneggar:

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is currently considering
the adoption of an on-road diesel truck and bus regulation that, if
implemented as presently drafted would have a profound, negative
impact on California’s economy.

As a member of The California Moving and Storage Association
(CMSA) and its over 550 member companies, I am very supportive of
reducing particulate matter (PM) and NOx emissions from diesel
engines.  There is no disagreement that we need to work
collectively to improve the state’s air quality and all of us want
to provide as healthy an environment as possible for our families,
our employees and all Californians.  However, in its current form,
the Board’s proposed regulation places a significant economic risk
on our business today, jeopardizes many of my fellow members future
viability in the moving and storage industry, which is already
reeling from unprecedented financial turmoil. I have been a witness
to 4 moving businesses closing just in the last 3 months from the
current economic state.

Many of California’s trucking companies have already begun the
process of retrofitting or replacing their fleets, whether in the
normal course of their business cycle or in anticipation of these
regulations.  However, the smaller owner/operators – those with
fleets of five trucks or less – who make up more than 55 percent of
all trucks registered in the state, will be severely hampered by
the costs of retrofitting or replacing trucks that, in some cases,
are the sole assets of their family-owned businesses.

We must be careful not to forfeit California’s economy and ability
to move goods across the state, build construction projects and bus
our children to and from school for the sake of protecting our
environment. 

Thank you for your time,
Michele Bowen
Operations Manager
Rentacrate, LLC
(562)801-1800
(562)801-5600 fax