The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released that Estes Express Lines will pay a $100,000 penalty for violations of the California Truck and Bus Regulation, for failing to install particulate filters on 73 of its heavy duty diesel trucks.
The California Truck and Bus Regulation was adopted into federal Clean Air Act plan requirements in 2012 and apply to privately owned diesel trucks and buses. The rule also requires any trucking company to ensure their subcontractors are only using compliant trucks, and requires companies to upgrade their vehicles to meet specific NOx and PM2.5 performance standards in California. Heavy duty diesel trucks in California must meet 2010 engine emissions levels or use diesel particulate filters.
In addition to the penalty, Estes will spend $290,400 towards projects to educate the out of state trucking industry on the regulation and for replacing old wood burning devices in the San Joaquin Valley. Estes will pay $35,000 to the University of California Davis Extension to implement a state approved training program for out of state trucking firms on compliance with the rule. Estes will also pay $255,400 to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District’s Burn Cleaner Incentive Program that will be used to replace 80 or more wood burning devices with cleaner versions.
Estes is a large, private, for-hire trucking firm based in Virginia that owns and operates diesel fueled vehicles in all 50 states. In February 2015, EPA issued a Notice of Violation to Estes after EPA’s investigation found that the company failed to equip its heavy duty diesel vehicles with particulate filters and failed to verify compliance with the Truck and Bus Regulation for its hired motor carriers. Estes now operates only new trucks in California.
Published in the January 2016 Edition of American Recycler News