The California Air Resources Board on April 6 announced an early action compliance credit for trucking fleets that install a particulate filter by July 1 or that make a commitment to purchase a particulate filter by May 1.
By installing a particulate filter early on one truck, a fleet will be able to delay compliance for a second truck in the fleet until Jan. 1, 2017.
The early action “buy-one-get-one-free” credit applies to trucks with a manufacturer gross vehicle weight rating of more than 26,000 pounds. There is no limit on how many trucks in the fleet can earn the early action credit.
“California fleets need to act now in order to take advantage of this special offer to clean up their fleets so that they are further along in complying with CARB’s diesel reduction regulations,” says ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols.
Fleets that install a particulate matter filter by July 1 will get the early action credit. Fleets that have made the commitment to purchase by May 1 and install the PM filter after July 1 still will receive early action credit. In addition, the vehicle that is retrofitted also would be compliant until 2020 regardless of engine model year. Extra particulate filter credits are not available for filters installed to comply with other pre-existing CARB regulations or if partially paid for by public funding.
Fleets are required to report information about all of their heavier trucks that operate in California by Jan. 31, 2012, to use the phase-in option and to claim the early action credit plus other credits.
