The deadline to register vehicles as part of the Clean Truck Check program is quickly approaching. Approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in 2021, the program is currently in Phase 2. It requires that vehicles be entered into the CARB database by December 31 and an annual fee of $30 per vehicle be paid. The rule applies to vehicles that exceed 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating and are powered by diesel or alternative fuels, with rare exceptions.
Starting in January, compliance proof is mandatory for all covered vehicles to continue legal operations in the state. The Clean Truck Check program is tied to registration with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Director of Regulatory and Environmental Affairs for Western United Dairies, Paul Sousa explained that individuals will not be able to register their trucks if they do not pass the clean truck test. Phase 3 of the program will begin implementation in 2024. It will require periodic emissions testing. Sousa said “Basically, what it is, it’s a smog check for trucks. We’re familiar with smog checks for our cars. This works in a very similar way to ensure that truck emission control systems operate as they are intended to.”
Nearly all vehicles will require testing twice a year through the program. However, Sousa noted that agriculture did receive a bit of an exception in the rulemaking process. Agricultural vehicles will only be required to be tested once a year. Compliance tests will begin to be accepted as early as April 2024. The compliance deadline for testing will be July 1, 2024. “Older trucks will have measurements. But newer trucks, you just plug into the truck’s computer, you get a readout, you send that readout to the Air Resources Board and that’s all you’ve got to do,” Sousa noted.
UPDATE: As of December 27, CARB has extended the deadline to register vehicles in the CARB database to January 31, 2024.
Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West