CARB Extends Emissions Deadline for Some Small Fleets

The California Air Quality Resources Board voted April 25 to extend the deadline for independent truckers and small fleets to comply with new state emissions rules.

In a public hearing the day before the vote, truckers told board members that the new emissions rules presented a financial hardship that could not easily or quickly be overcome.

At the same time, other fleet owners who have already brought their trucks up to the new emissions standards said at the hearing that an extension gives their competitors an advantage because they won’t have to spend money on their trucks.

Some of the truckers asking for an extension said they were denied loans to retrofit their trucks or to buy new vehicles.

The board voted 11-1 to extend some deadlines, depending on the size and type of specific fleets.

Under the extension, some trucks in small fleets will have until January 2018 to comply with the stricter emissions standards.