Truck and Bus Regulation Amendments Approved in 2014

This summary describes amendments to the flexibility options of the Truck and Bus Regulation that were approved by the Air Resources Board (ARB/Board) on April 25, 2014. Owners that do not report to use flexibility options must comply with the engine model year schedules of the regulation. Detail on how to report and take advantage of flexibility options is available at www.arb.ca.gov/dieseltruck.

Additional Time and a Lower Cost Pathway for Small Fleets 
The Board approved amendments for small fleet owners that complied with the small fleet option for heavy trucks (with a GVWR more than 26,000 lbs) and had at least one PM filter by January 1, 2014. Compliance for trucks already equipped with PM filters is being extended until 2023, and owners with two or three trucks will have two more years to upgrade the other heavy trucks in the fleet as shown on the table on the right.

New Option for Owners that Cannot Get Financing to Comply 
The Board approved a new flexibility option that would defer compliance with the PM filter requirements until January 1, 2017 for up to 3 trucks in a fleet for owners that are unable to afford compliance and cannot get financing to comply. The criteria for claiming this option is being revised as directed by the Board and will not be finalized until the summer of 2014.
Expansion of the Low-Use Vehicle Exemption 
The approved amendments exempt vehicles that travel fewer than 5,000 total miles per year, regardless of where the vehicle is operated until January 1, 2020. The existing extension for vehicles that travel less than 1000 miles in California remains in effect except that the hourly limitation for vehicles that operate while stationary has been removed.
Work Truck Phase-in Option 
The Board approved amendment to replace the low mileage construction truck extension with a new Low Mileage Work Truck Option. The new option applies to work trucks that travel less than 20,000 miles per year and are straight trucks, and tractors that exclusively pull low-boy or dump trailers. The new option
does not apply to any other tractor trailer combinations, buses nor truck and trailer combinations that haul goods.
The PM filter compliance schedule is shown in the table on the right. A one truck owner can use this option to defer compliance until January 1, 2016. This option can now be used separately for lighter trucks in the fleet.
Smoothing of Requirements for Agricultural Vehicles
Owners of the agricultural vehicles will be able to use the existing extension longer if their vehicles will operate less than 15,000 miles per year after January 1, 2017 and 10,000 miles per year after January 1, 2020. Cattle livestock trucks will be newly eligible to use the specialty agricultural truck extension; however, some of the details on eligibility are being revised as directed by the Board and will not be finalized until the summer of 2014. Finally, the approved amendments extend the opt-in period for log trucks until January 31, 2015. All agricultural trucks will need to have 2010 engines by 2023.

New Flexibility Option for Heavy Cranes
The Board approved a new compliance option that allows fleet owners to upgrade the heavy cranes in a fleet to 2010 model year or later engines at a rate of 10 percent per year starting on January 1, 2018. Heavy cranes with PM filters before January 1, 2018 will be grandfathered in.

Longer PM Filter Phase-In for Rural Areas with Cleaner Air
The Board approved an expansion of the number of regions that are included in the NOx Exempt Area Phase-in option shown by the lighter regions in the figure on the right. The compliance schedule was also extended by several years and will be phased-in from January 1, 2015 to January 1, 2020 as shown in the table on the left. The amended option will be open to both lighter and heavier vehicles.

Under this option, a one truck owner will need a PM filter by 2017, a 2 truck owner will need to add PM filters by 2015 and 2019, and a 3 truck owner would need to add PM filters by 2015, 2017, 2019.

Any vehicle that operates exclusively in these regions when operating in California will have no additional requirements, other than reporting, once the vehicle is equipped with a retrofit or OEM PM filter.

Smoothing Out of Regulatory Compliance Requirements
The Board approved amendments that limit the number of trucks that would need to be upgraded to 2010 model year or newer engines each year. Owners that comply with the engine model year schedules will not be required to upgrade with 2010 engines for more than 25 percent of the fleet or 2 trucks, whichever is greater. The limit applies separately for lighter and heavier trucks.

Extended Use of Existing Retrofit PM Filters
The Board approved an amendment that recognizes owners that installed retrofit PM filters on their vehicles before January 1, 2014 by extending the compliance period until January 1, 2023.

Extending Use of Early Compliance Credits
The Board approved amendments extend the use of existing credits (for downsizing, early addition of PM filters, and adding cleaner vehicles) until January 1, 2018. The credits for adding fuel efficient hybrids or other advanced technology vehicles are being extended until 2020.

Addressing Compliance for a PM Filter Retrofit that is Recalled
If a PM filter is recalled and cannot be repaired by the manufacturer, the Board approved an amendment that allows the vehicle to operate up to five years from the date of the recall to protect owners that acted in good faith to comply with the regulation.

Where can I get more information?
Fact sheets, compliance tools and regulatory documents about the Truck and Bus Regulation are available at www.arb.ca.gov/dieseltruck. If you have questions or wish to obtain this document in an alternative format or language, please call ARB’s diesel hotline at (866) 6DIESEL (634-3735). TTY/TDD/Speech to Speech users may dial 711 for the California Relay Service.

Article Provided by: http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/onrdiesel/documents/faqamend14.pdf