CARB previews “smog check” at Port of Los Angeles event

Starting in January, Portable Emissions Acquisition Systems will deploy in various areas to screen for potential high-emitting vehicles operating on California roadways. (Photo: California Air Resources Board)

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) used an enforcement truck event held at the Port of Los Angeles to preview its Heavy-Duty Inspection and Maintenance Program (HD I/M), which will begin phase-in on January 1, 2023. The event, at which more than 1200 trucks were screened, was intended to make vehicle owners and operators aware of the new “smog check” requirements for vehicles and the phase-in timeline. It was also used to preview the Portable Emissions Acquisition System (PEAQS), a roadside detection/monitoring system that will be used to measure emissions of vehicles operating on California’s roads.

The HD I/M program will apply to all heavy-duty trucks, buses, agricultural equipment and personal motorhomes with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) exceeding 14000 lbs. traveling in California regardless if the vehicles are registered in the state. While vehicles under this program comprise just 3% of all those operating on California roads, according to CARB, they are responsible for more than half of all smog-causing pollution and fine particulate matter from mobile sources in the state.

The HD I/M program is the first of its kind in the country, CARB noted, and is intended to ensure that emissions control systems on heavy-duty vehicles operate effectively throughout their service life.

“The Heavy-Duty Inspection and Maintenance Program will ensure that the emissions control equipment in heavy-duty trucks does its job capturing and removing harmful emissions for the life of the vehicle. And, if we discover it’s not working properly, it will be repaired quickly,” said CARB Chair Liane Randolph. “This will save owners and operators in fuel costs and deliver significant improvements in air quality and public health, especially in communities adjacent to highways, ports and warehouses that suffer from persistent air pollution as a result of heavy traffic.”

The program is being rolled out in three phases, starting in January 2023 with the deployment of the PEAQS in various areas to screen for potential high-emitting vehicles operating in the state. Vehicles flagged by the devices will be required to undergo an additional emissions test to verify whether emissions control equipment is functioning properly or if a repair of any malfunctioning equipment is necessary.

In mid-2023, phase two requires all heavy-duty trucks to register with CARB to obtain a certificate of compliance in order to operate in the state. In 2024, the third and final phase requires proof of emissions compliance with the HD I/M Program for heavy-duty truck registration in California.

Emissions inspections will need to be performed twice a year for vehicles equipped with onboard diagnostic (OBD) systems, increasing to four times per year starting in 2027. Older heavy-duty vehicles without an OBD system will continue the current opacity testing requirements, with an added visual testing component, twice a year.