What's New List Serve Post Display

What's New List Serve Post Display

Below is the List Serve Post you selected to display.
newsrel -- FAQs for Greenhouse gas emissions reduction regulation (SmartWay)

Posted: 05 May 2010 09:28:28
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the
Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Regulation. 

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

May 5, 2010

CONTACTS:

Mary Fricke
(916) 322-2990

Karen Caesar
(626)575-6728
www.arb.ca.gov
                                   

California Truckin’ News
Greenhouse gas emissions reduction regulation (SmartWay)
Frequently Asked Questions

If you have noticed the sleek, modern appearance of big-rig
tractors and trailers traveling down the highway lately, you are
not imagining things. These new big-rig tractors and trailers
have side skirting on the undercarriage and tires that provide
less air resistance and promote a smoother, more fuel-efficient
ride.  

California adopted its heavy duty diesel greenhouse gas
emissions reduction regulation in December 2008.  Its goal is to
improve fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas emissions from
long-haul trucks, hence their new, streamlined appearance. The
Air Resources Board estimates the regulation will save truckers
about $8.6 billion, as well as 750 million gallons of diesel fuel
in California and 5 billion gallons of diesel fuel nationwide
between the years 2010 and 2020.  Individual fleet owners can
expect an annual fuel savings of $3,250 to $4,060 per
tractor-trailer combination that will take an estimated 1 to 2.3
years to pay for itself, making the purchase extremely cost
effective.

The regulation utilizes elements of the US EPA’s “SmartWay”
program, which calls for environmentally cleaner, more fuel
efficient transportation options to be made available to the
trucking industry.

ARB has collected the most commonly asked questions and answers
about this new technology and regulation below.

Who needs to comply with the regulation?
The regulation applies to all owners of 53-foot or longer
box-type trailers, including both dry-van and refrigerated-van
trailers, and the owners of heavy-duty tractors that pull them on
California highways. 

Besides the owners of these vehicles, drivers, motor carriers,
California-based brokers and California-based shippers may also
be held responsible for compliance with the regulation. 

Do I still need to comply with the regulation if my vehicle is
registered outside of California?
All owners, regardless of where their vehicles are registered,
must meet the requirements of the regulation when they drive
their vehicles on California highways.

Besides the owners of these vehicles, drivers, motor carriers,
California-based brokers and California-based shippers may also
be held responsible for meeting the requirements of the
regulation.

What equipment will meet the requirements of the regulation?
Tractor owners:
Owners of 2010 or older tractors are responsible for replacing
or retrofitting their tractors with compliant U.S. EPA SmartWay
Program (SmartWay) low rolling resistance tires. For 2011 or
newer tractors must be purchased SmartWay certified.

Trailer owners: 
Trailer owners are responsible for replacing or retrofitting
their trailers with compliant U.S. EPA SmartWay Program
(SmartWay) aerodynamic technologies and low rolling resistance
tires.  Some examples of these technologies are:

•	Trailer rear fairings;
•	Trailer front gap fairings; 
•	Trailer side skirts

For a detailed listing of SmartWay approved low rolling
resistance tires and aerodynamic technologies go to
http://www.epa.gov/smartway/transport/what-smartway/verified-technologies.htm

Is there financial assistance available to help purchase this
equipment?
Yes.  ARB’s Heavy-Duty Vehicle Air Quality Loan Program may be
able to provide assistance to comply with the regulation.  More
information is available at:
www.arb.ca.gov/ba/loan/on-road/on-road.htm

Also, the SmartWay program offers financial assistance
information through the SmartWay Finance Center which is
available at:
http://www.smartwayfinancecenter.com/

What is the difference between the trailer requirements for
small and large fleets and what are the large and small fleet
compliance provisions?
A small fleet is defined as a fleet with 20 or less trailers
while a large fleet is defined as having more than 21 trailers. 
Small fleets need to register all 20 or less trailers in their
fleet in order to qualify for the small fleet provision while
large fleets only need to register their California bound
trailers to qualify for the large fleet provision. 

The small fleet provision is a phase-in schedule between the
years of 2014 to 2017 in which the total percentage of trailers
must meet the requirements of the regulation. (See table below*) 
In order for small fleets to take advantage of this provision,
they must submit a Small Fleet Compliance Plan by July 1, 2012. 
The large fleet provision is a phase-in schedule between the
years of 2010 and 2016 in which registration is required for only
California bound trailers. (See table below*) In order to take
advantage of this compliance option, large fleets must submit a
Large Fleet Compliance Plan by July 1, 2010.  Both of the small
and large fleet provisions apply to 2010 and older box-type
trailers that travel in California.

Small Fleet Compliance Schedule 				
Must comply before January 1 of:	2014	2015	2016	2017
% of Trailer Fleet That Must Comply 	25%	50%	75%	100%

Large Fleet Compliance Schedule						
Must comply before January 1 of: That Must 1
of:	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
% of Trailer Fleet That Must Comply	5%	15%	30%	50%	75%	100%


What are the requirements of the regulation and when must I
comply?
The model year of the vehicle, the requirement(s ) and deadlines
to comply are listed in the tables below:
 
For tractors:
Model year			Requirement(s)	Deadline 
• 2011 and newer sleeper-cab tractors	Sleeper-cab tractors that
pull trailers must be SmartWay certified	Beginning January 1,
2010
• 2011 and newer day-cab tractors	Day-cab tractors that pull
affected trailers must use
SmartWay verified low rolling resistance tires	Beginning January
1, 2010
• All pre-2011 tractors that pull affected trailers 
	Affected trailers must use SmartWay
verified low rolling resistance tires	Beginning January 1, 2012


For trailers:
Model year  	Requirement(s)	Deadline
• 2011 and newer 53-foot or longer box-type trailers 	Trailers
must be either
SmartWay certified or retrofitted with SmartWay verified
technologies that meet  5% fuel  efficiency for dry vans and a 4%
fuel efficiency improvement for a refrigerated van and low
rolling resistance tires 	Beginning January 1, 2010
• Pre-2011 53-foot or longer box-type trailers (with the
exception of
certain 2003 to 2008  refrigerated-van trailers) 
	Box-type trailers must meet the same requirements as 2011 and
newer trailers 
	• By January 1, 2013
or
• Owners can phase-in compliance of their fleet over a period of
time but must register by:
July 1, 2010 for large fleets and;
July 1, 2012 for small fleets

• 2003 to 2008 refrigerated-van trailers equipped with 2003 or
subsequent  transport refrigeration units or TRUs	Meet the same
requirements as 2011 and newer trailers	• Between the years of
2017 and 2019 

What types of equipment do not have to comply with this
regulation?
•	Curtain side vans;
•	Military tactical vehicles;
•	Solid waste vehicles;
•	Authorized emergency vehicles; 
•	Container chassis;
•	Drayage tractors and trailers that operate within a 100 mile
radius of a port or intermodal rail yard; and, 
•	Drop frame vans.

Are there any special exceptions to this regulation?
Yes. Short-haul tractors that drive less than 50,000 miles per
year are exempt from the regulation.  Local-haul tractors and
trailers that operate within a 100 mile radius from a home base
are exempt from the aerodynamics requirements, but not from the
tire requirements.  

Short-haul tractors, local-haul tractors and trailers need to be
registered with ARB in order to obtain this exemption.
			
Further information about the specific technologies that have
been certified or verified by the SmartWay program can be found
by contacting : 

SmartWay Partnership Program
SmartWay Call Center: 		(734) 214-4767
Address:				2000 Traverwood 
					Ann Arbor, MI 48105 
Email: 				smartway_transport@epa.gov
Web:					www.epa.gov/smartway/


Are there going to be any additional changes or modifications
made to the regulation?
Yes. ARB will be recommending regulatory modifications to the
Board in fall of 2010.  These recommendations include providing
an additional phase-in option for large fleets, allowing them
additional time to register and report their activity; to allow
fleets to report compliance activity on an annual basis; and the
creation of a new exemption for storage trailers.  In addition,
other minor modifications to the regulation will also be
proposed.

Where can I learn more? 
A summary of the regulation is available on the ARB website at 
www.arb.ca.gov/cc/hdghg/hdghg.htm and at the ARB Truck Stop
website at www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/truckstop/trailers/trailers.php

Further help with the regulation is also available by calling
ARB’s diesel hotline at (866) 6DIESEL (634-3735) or by email at
866DIESEL@arb.ca.gov.

###
Columnist, Tony Brasil is the manager of ARB’s Heavy Duty
Diesel
Implementation Branch.  While he cannot answer every question,
he
will select several to answer each month.  To contact Tony,
please email CATruckinQandA@ARB.ca.gov


ARB What's New

preload