Comment Log Display

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Members, California Legislature 
California Air Resources Board

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger or
Members of the California State Legislature or CARB:

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is currently considering
the adoption of an on-road diesel truck and bus regulation that, if
implemented as presently drafted would have a profound, negative
impact on California’s economy. 

I want to be clear, Country City Towing Inc, is very supportive of
reducing particulate matter (PM) and NOx emissions from diesel
engines.  There is no disagreement that we need to work
collectively to improve the state’s air quality and all of us want
to provide as healthy an environment as possible for our families,
our employees and all Californians.  However, in its current form,
the Board’s proposed regulation places a significant economic risk
on our business today, jeopardizes our future viability in the
Towing & Storage industry, which is already reeling from
unprecedented financial turmoil. 

CARB is proposing this multi-billion dollar regulation during the
worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  California
truckers, construction companies and bus operators are struggling
to make ends meet in the face of a massive slow down in the
construction sector due to falling home prices and home
foreclosures, declining consumer confidence and spending and a
freeze in the credit markets.  Today there is virtually no access
to capital for businesses, large and small.

Companies like mine are being asked to dispose of equipment and
assets before their useful life has been completed and purchase new
equipment before it would otherwise be acquired. A combination of
this proposed rule and the state of the economy have left the
trade-in or resale value of our equipment worth pennies on the
dollar. My company and others like us simply don’t can't afford to
purchase new equipment or retrofit our engines. Some of us may be
forced to sell off our trucks at a loss or shut our companies’
doors, ultimately costing jobs to the 25 families that just my
company supports and revenue to the state’s economy. 

I urge you to delay this rule until the economy is back on its
feet and stable enough to digest the expense of replacing trucks at
$70,000 to 110,000 each. We don't want to be another industry
needing a "bail out".

Sincerely, 

Jay Van Arsdale
President
Country City Towing, Inc.