California Air Resources Board (CARB)
Section 2025. Regulation to Reduce Emissions of Diesel Particulate Matter,
Oxides of Nitrogen and Other Criteria Pollutants, from In-Use
Heavy-Duty Diesel-Fueled Vehicles.
(a) Purpose
The purpose of this regulation is to reduce emissions of diesel particulate matter (PM),
oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and other criteria pollutants from in-use diesel-fueled vehicles.
(b) Scope and Applicability
Except as provided in subsection (c), this regulation applies to any person, business,
federal government agency, school district or school transportation provider that owns
or operates, leases, or rents, affected vehicles that operate in California. The regulation
also applies to persons that sell affected vehicles in California. Affected vehicles are
those that operate on diesel-fuel, dual-fuel, or alternative diesel-fuel that are registered
to be driven on public highways, were originally designed to be driven on public
highways whether or not they are registered, yard trucks with on-road engines or yard
trucks with off-road engines used for agricultural operations, both engines of two-engine
sweepers, schoolbuses, and have a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)
greater than 14,000 pounds (lbs).
(c) Exemptions
(5) Military tactical support vehicles, as described in title 13, CCR, section 1905; Ҥ 1905. Exclusion and Exemption of Military Tactical Vehicles and Equipment.
(a) For purposes of this chapter, military tactical vehicle means a motor vehicle owned by the U.S. Department of Defense and/or the U.S. military services and used in combat, combat support, combat service support, tactical or relief operations, or training for such operations. “ (This appears to apply only to trucks currently owned and operated by U.S. military organizations);
(6) “Alternative Diesel Fuel” means any fuel used in diesel engines that is not a
reformulated diesel fuel as defined in sections 2281 and 2282 of title 13, CCR, and
does not require engine or fuel system modifications for the engine to operate,
other than minor modifications (e.g., recalibration of the engine fuel control) that
may enhance performance. Examples of alternative diesel fuels include, but are
not limited to, biodiesel, Fischer-Tropsch fuels, and emulsions of water in diesel
fuel. Natural gas is not an alternative diesel fuel. An emission control strategy
using a fuel additive will be treated as an alternative diesel fuel based strategy
unless:
(A) the additive is supplied to the engine fuel by an on-board dosing mechanism;
or
(B) the additive is directly mixed into the base fuel inside the fuel tank of the
engine; or
(C) the additive and base fuel are not mixed until engine fueling commences,
and no more additive plus base fuel combination is mixed than required for a
single fueling of a single engine or vehicle.
(7) “Alternative Fuel” means natural gas, propane, ethanol, methanol, hydrogen,
electricity, fuel cells, or advanced technologies that do not rely on diesel fuel.
“Alternative fuel” also means any of these fuels used in combination with each
other or in combination with other non-diesel fuels.
(c) “Alternative-Fueled Engine” means an engine that is exclusively fueled with a fuel
meeting the definition of alternative fuel.
(9) Historic vehicles as defined in section 2025(d)(36);
(11) “Commercial Vehicle” means a motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles as
defined in California Veh. Code, section 260. “260. (a) A "commercial vehicle" is a motor vehicle of a typerequired to be registered under this code used or maintained for the
transportation of persons for hire, compensation, or profit or
designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of
property.
(b) Passenger vehicles and house cars that are not used for the
transportation of persons for hire, compensation, or profit are not
commercial vehicles. This subdivision shall not apply to Chapter 4
(commencing with Section 6700) of Division 3.
(c) Any vanpool vehicle is not a commercial vehicle.
(d) The definition of a commercial vehicle in this section does
not apply to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 15200) of Division 6.”
California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 471 defines "pickup truck" (bolding added):
471. A "pickup truck" is a motor truck with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of less than 11,500 pounds, an unladen weight of less than 8,001 pounds, and which is equipped with an open box-type bed not exceeding 9 feet in length. "Pickup truck" does not include a motor vehicle otherwise meeting the above definition, that is equipped with a bed-mounted storage compartment unit commonly called a "utility body."
(12) Trucks with a GVWR of 19,500 lbs or less with a pick-up bed used exclusively for
personal, non-commercial, or non-governmental use
California Air Resources Board:
2. TRUCKS AND BUSES (private and federal fleets)
Diesel trucks and buses with a GVWR more than 14,000 lbs. that are owned by private or federal government fleets must reduce exhaust emissions by meeting particulate matter (PM) filter requirements and upgrading to 2010 model year (MY) or newer engines. In addition, any person residing in California who sells an affected vehicle must provide a disclosure notice about the regulation to the buyer.
What qualifies for the low-use vehicle exemption?
A low-use vehicle is one that is operated a total of less than 5,000 miles per year. If the vehicle is
designed to power other equipment that can only be used while stationary, like a crane or a concrete
pump, the engine or power take off must also be operated a total of less than 200 hours per year to
qualify. Vehicles that operate more than 5000 miles per year, but will operate less than 1,000 miles per
year within California’s borders also qualify for the low-use exemption.
California DMV Smog Exemption:
•Diesel powered 1997 year model and older or with a Gross Vehicle Weight rating (GVWR) of more than 14,000 lbs
The above is the information I could gather over a two-hour period. I wanted to know because this subject affects me directly, as well.
My deuce is registered “historic” and is therefore exempt.
If you can get your truck certified with a GVWR of less than 19,500 pounds and not “commercial”, then supposedly it will be exempt from the new engine / particulate filter requirements.
If you can prove that the engine is designed to run on an “alternative fuel” or “alternative diesel fuel” as defined above, then supposedly it is exempt from the new requirements.
If you drive the truck less than 1,000 miles in California and a total of less than 5,000 miles annually, then the truck is exempt. Reporting to CARB of mileage is required.
If you can get the truck’s GVWR under 14,000 pounds and it is older than 1997, supposedly you do not have to get it smogged.
I'm not an attorney, my conclusions may not be correct. If an attorney or CARB official would like to comment, PLEASE DO.
