According to a CARB press release, a California carrier has been fined $230,250 for diesel fleet violations.
The California Air Resource Board fined Bakersfield-based KS Industries for “failing to update its diesel trucks to clean up harmful emissions as required by state anti-pollution laws.
“The Air Resources Board is committed to improving air quality and educating business owners about how to comply with the regulations that were created to help achieve this goal,” said ARB Enforcement Chief Jim Ryden. “All businesses that depend on their vehicle fleets need to pay attention to the specific
deadlines of the State Truck and Bus Regulation, and understand that ignoring or forgetting them can result in a hefty fine.”
The Resource Board says that $172,688 of the $230,000 fine will go to the California Air Pollution Control Fund, and the remaining $57,562 will go to the Joaquin Valley Air Pollution District to fund the retrofitting of school buses.
In addition, as part of the settlement, KS Industries will also:
• Ensure that staff responsible for compliance with the dieseltruck emission inspection program attend a diesel education course and provide certificates of completion within six months;
• Instruct vehicle operators to comply with the state’s idling regulations;
• Ensure that trucks have the most recent engine-operating software installed to limit the amount of NOx (NOx, or oxides of nitrogen, is a primary ingredient of smog);
• Ensure that all 1974 and newer diesel-powered vehicles are up to federal emissions standards for the vehicle model year and are properly labeled with an engine certification label.
• Become compliant with the Truck and Bus Regulation by November 15, 2013.