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Advisory 427 explains administrative changes in implementing the
requirements of the Truck and Bus Regulation for agricultural
vehicles and street sweepers.    The definition of “Farming
Business” was clarified to allow farm management companies, that
do not own or lease land, to take advantage of the agricultural
vehicle provisions. Also, the advisory formally identifies that
the reporting date for agricultural vehicles and two-engine
sweepers has been postponed from March 31, 2011 to April 29,
2011.  All specialty vehicles reported by March 31, 2010 and met
the requirements for the specialty vehicle exemptions have been
approved for the exemption.   Additional exemptions could be
approved up to the allowable limits for vehicles that are
eligible for the specialty vehicle exemption and are reported by
April 29, 2011. The date for labeling the agricultural vehicles
that meet the requirements for the extension has also been
postponed to June 1, 2011.  The advisory is available at
http://www.arb.ca.gov/enf/advs/advs427.pdf   For additional
information about the regulation, please visit our web site at:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/dieseltruck

Regulation Background

On December 11, 2008, the Air Resources Board (ARB or Board)
approved for adoption the Truck and Bus regulation to control
emissions from nearly all existing diesel powered heavy-duty
trucks and buses operating in California. The regulation became
effective under California law on January 8, 2010. The regulation
applies to diesel fueled trucks and buses with a gross vehicle
weight rating (GVWR) greater than 14,000 pounds that are
privately owned, federally owned, and to publicly and privately
owned school buses. Local and state government owned diesel
fueled trucks and buses are already subject to other ARB
regulations. Reducing emissions from in-use trucks and buses is
necessary to meet federally imposed clean air standards and to
reduce the adverse health effects from truck and bus pollution.

On December 17, 2010, the staff recommended amendments, which are
presently pending adoption, which would delay the initial
requirement to install particulate matter (PM) retrofit filters
by one year to January 1, 2012 and extend the time before a
vehicle equipped with a PM filter would have to have an engine
that meets 2010 model year emission standards. The amendments
would also defer engine replacements for vehicles without PM
filters two years until January 1, 2015. Prior to 2020,
replacements would be limited to 20 year old or older trucks that
are not equipped with PM filters. By January 1, 2023, most
vehicles would still need to be equipped with an engine meeting
2010 model year emission standards.