Compliance with CARB’s Truck and Bus Rule will Affect DMV Registration in 2020

Do you own, or do business with, diesel on-road trucks or buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 14,000 pounds?

Beginning January 1, 2020, compliance with the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Truck and Bus Regulation will be automatically verified by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as part of the vehicle registration process. Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1), was signed into law on April 28, 2017. This bill states that DMV must check that vehicles are compliant with, or exempt from, CARB’s Truck and Bus Regulation. If a vehicle is not compliant with the rule, DMV can no longer register that vehicle.

The Truck & Bus Regulation requires that most medium- and heavy-duty commercial diesel trucks and buses with older engines be replaced or repowered with 2010 or newer model year engines through a phase-in schedule.

Heavy-Duty Diesel Truck & Bus Engine Replacement Guide

Federally and privately owned diesel-powered vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 14,000 pounds are subject to the Truck & Bus Regulation. Use the Engine Replacement Guide to determine when your vehicle may be out of compliance with the rule, when your DMV registration might be denied, and if your vehicle might be subject to any exemptions.

Heavy Duty Diesel Truck & Bus Loan Assistance Available

In partnership with the California Pollution Control Financing Authority (under the umbrella of the State Treasurer’s Office), CARB offers the Truck Loan Assistance Program to provide financial assistance to truckers affected by the Truck and Bus Regulation. This program provides financing opportunities to qualified small-business truckers who fall below conventional lending criteria and are unable to qualify for traditional financing for cleaner trucks or retrofits.