CARB Approves Amendments to the Off-Road / On-Road Regulations

from Kevin Pedrotti, Legislative Advocate, Golden State Builders Exchanges
 

On Friday, December 17th CARB unanimously approved  proposed amendments to the Off-Road / On-Road Regulations.  Final amended regulation language and CARB Fact Sheets should be issued shortly and posted on the CARB website.

 

New Compliance Dates:  Fleets must be in compliance with requirements as follows: 

•    Large Fleets by 1-1-2014 

•   Medium Fleets by 1-1-2017

•   Small Fleets by 1-1-2019

 

Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs): These are now a compliance option, and not a requirement.  Fleets may meet compliance targets by utilizing means other than VDECs, such as replacing older vehicles with new, or cleaner, used vehicles; replacing diesel with electric or alternative fuel vehicles; repowering older engines with tier 2 or higher engines; retiring vehicles from fleet; and/or designating vehicles as permanent low-use (now 200 hours per year).

 

Turnover Rates Reduced:  The combining of PM and NOx BACT requirements will require annual actions (e.g., turnover) of no more than 4.8% to 10% of fleet HP in each year a fleet fails to meet the fleet average target (not up to 28%-30% as before). All fleets must turn over all Tier 0 and Tier 1 engines before higher tiered engines count toward BACT.

 

Adding Vehicles:  The implementation of the revised regulation will restore enforcement of the Adding Vehicles provisions, according to the following schedule:

 

•   Ban on adding Tier 0 engines:  Begins after the Secretary of State certifies the off-road regulation amendments and the Administrator of the U.S. EPA grants authorization to enforce the off-road regulation.

•   March 1, 2011:  Large and Medium Fleets may only add Tier 2 or higher engines, except a vehicle with a Tier 1 engine could still be added during this time as long as the vehicle has been registered with CARB's diesel off-road online reporting system (DOORS), the fleet adding the vehicle is registered in DOORS, and the fleet removing the vehicle is registered in DOORS.

•   January 1, 2013:  Large and Medium Fleets may add only Tier 2 or higher engines

•   January 1, 2016:  Small Fleets may add only Tier 2 or higher engines

•   January 1, 2018:  Large and Medium Fleets may add only Tier 3 or higher engines

•   January 1, 2023:  Small Fleets may add only Tier 3 or higher engines

 

Additional EIN Label Required:  By 2013, all Off-Road vehicles and equipment must have an EIN Label on Both sides.

 

NOTE:  Compliance means fleets meet the regulatory criteria as of the compliance date specified.  The revised regulations delay compliance dates, not fleet registration and initial reporting.  Except for the new, 2-Label requirement, other provisions of the regulation NOT changed include Labeling, Idling, and Sales Disclosure requirements.  All fleets that have failed to register and submit the initial fleet report listing fleet equipment are in violation of the regulation.

 

For Lighter Trucks with a GVWR of 26,000 pounds or less:

•   No requirements until 2015;

•   Must replace when 20 years old from 2015 to 2020; and

•   All must have 2010 engines by 2023.

 

This is significant for contractors, whose job trucks, crew trucks, and utility trucks usually fall within the 8,000 to 26,000 GVWR range.  These vehicles are exempt from meeting PM filter requirements, and some may qualify for additional "specialty low use" exemptions, which will become available for certain trucks used in construction, such as Ready-Mix Delivery trucks, Concrete Pumps, Single Body Dump and Support trucks, and Water trucks, to name a few.  Low-Use thresholds for these vehicles will be increased substantially (to as high as 15,000 miles annually in some cases), and those equipped with Power Take-Off units can report PTO usage separately.

 

Larger trucks over 26,000 pounds GVWR must meet a filtering (VDEC) schedule starting in 2012.