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Revised rule eliminates duplicate testing for delivery vans and
larger pick-up trucks. 

Release #:10-57
Date:10/21/2010

ARB PIO: (916) 322-2990
CONTACT:

Karen Caesar
626-575-6728
kcaesar@arb.ca.gov





Board action saves diesel fleets money, time

Revised rule eliminates duplicate testing for delivery vans and
larger pick-up trucks

SACRAMENTO - The California Air Resources Board today voted to
provide relief for fleet owners of medium-sized commercial diesel
trucks by streamlining the procedures for testing their trucks’
emissions.

The Board’s decision amended the Periodic Smoke Inspection
Program (PSIP) to exempt diesel fleet owners of delivery vans and
larger pick-up trucks 1998 and newer from mandatory annual smoke
inspections because, under a new law, they must undergo a Smog
Check every other year.  The Board’s decision is expected to save
industry approximately $4.2 million annually.

The streamlined approach removing the PSIP test requirement
affects 77,000 lighter trucks with weights between 6,000 and
14,000 pounds. The decision will have a negligible impact on air
quality because these vehicles will remain subject to an
every-other-year Smog Check, which includes a smoke inspection.

“It makes good sense to amend this regulation,” said ARB Chairman
Mary Nichols.  “Our experts believe there is little air quality
benefit to be gained from performing both types of smoke
inspection.  The Board’s action today will help many business
owners save time, save money, and will still help to remove
diesel pollution from the air thus protecting public health.”

Enacted in 2007, AB 1488 requires diesel passenger cars and
trucks manufactured after 1997 and weighing 14,000 pounds or less
to be included in the California Smog Check Program, and thus be
subject to biennial emissions testing starting Jan. 1, 2010. 
Administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau of
Automotive Repair with assistance from ARB, diesel smog check
inspections consist of a visual inspection of the emission
control devices, a check of the vehicles on-board diagnostic
system, and a visual assessment of the vehicle’s smoke level.

The PSIP was signed into law in 1990 to control excess smoke
emissions and tampering from fleets of heavy-duty diesel trucks
and buses. The PSIP requires owners of California-based fleets
with two or more diesel-powered vehicles weighing more than 6,000
pounds to conduct annual smoke opacity inspections.  Vehicles
that fail the test must be removed from service, repaired and
retested. 

With the 2010 implementation of biennial Smog Checks for lighter
diesel vehicles, nearly 77,000 diesel vehicles are subject to
both Smog Checks and the smoke test.   Without the amendment
adopted today, owners of these vehicles would have to submit to
both an annual PSIP test and a Smog Check every other year. 
Inspections under the PSIP program average $55 per test, while a
Smog Check averages $47.

Diesel exhaust contains a variety of harmful gases and over 40
other known cancer-causing compounds. In 1998, California
identified diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant
based on its potential to cause cancer, premature death and other
health problems. In 2000, the ARB established California's Diesel
Risk Reduction Plan, which aims to reduce diesel emissions to 85
percent below 2000 levels by 2020.

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California
Environmental Protection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and
protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through
effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and
considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air
pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain
health based air quality standards.