How the New CARB Fuel Regulations Work for Truck Drivers

This week Bill McClusky went over a few of the new CARB emission rules that California released. It’s not good news for small trucking businesses, by any means. He hopes to clear the air, so to speak, about how drivers can comply, while getting the most for their mile. It won’t be easy, however.

As Bill notes, the new CARB regulations “can cost owner-operators between $16,000-$18,000 to install the emission compliance filter required.

Besides feeling good about putting cleaner air back onto the earth, there was not much benefit to owner-operators with this regulation. In fact, the filters actually cause a decrease in fuel efficiency, which hurts your bottom line.”

According to Sub-article 1(b), Sections 95301, title 17, California Code of Regulations, the following tractors and trailers are exempt from any requirements:

• Drop-frame trailers
• Chassis trailers
• Curtain-side trailers
• Livestock trailers
• Refuse trailers
• Box-type trailers less than 53 feet in length
• Emergency vehicles
• Military tactical support vehicles

There’s much more to everything, however. So you should head over to Team Run Smart and get more details, along with some links to the raw data.

We know that a lot of our drivers don’t actually drive on California roads, but we thought this might be a good primer for drivers who are thinking about pulling loads through the The Golden State while seeking their fortunes. As they say, an ounce of prevention…

Read more at Team Run Smart about new CARB regulations.