Q. What is the History of the Private Fleet Rule?
1967 CARB Created an 11-member board appointed by the governor governs the ARB. Six of the members are experts in fields such as medicine, chemistry, physics, meteorology, engineering, business and law. Five others are elected officials who represent regional air pollution control agencies--one each from the Los Angeles region, the San Francisco Bay area, San Diego, the San Joaquin Valley and another to represent other, more rural areas of the state. The ARB also oversees the activities of 35 local and regional air pollution control districts.
1983 - AB1807 California Air Toxics Program under the Health and Safety Code mandates CARB to identify and control air toxics in California.
1986 - Proposition 65- The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986
1998 - CARB identified diesel PM2.5 emissions as a Toxic Air Contaminant (TAC).
2001 - CARB adopted the Diesel Risk Reduction Plan to reduce diesel emission levels from the 2000 baseline by 75% by 201 and 85% by 2020.
2006 - AB 32 Greenhouse Gas Emissions (NOx) reduction to 1990 levels by 2020

Existing Diesel Mobil Sources Related Rules/ Measures

1998 - PSIP Smoke Testing Measure,
2002 - Solid Waste Collection Rule, Transit Rule,
2003 - Diesel Marine Rule,
2006 - Public Agency Utility Rule, School Bus Rule,
2008 - Off-Road Rule, Drayage Port/Rail Rule, 5 Min Idling Rule, Emissions Control Label (ECL)

2009/2016 In-Use Truck and Bus Rule also known as the “Private Fleet Rule”
- Regulation will affect over 375,000 in-state vehicles #14,000 GVW and larger and up to 500,000 Interstate
vehicles Will leave you 3 Compliance Choices or face fines of up to $1,000 a day, per vehicle for non-compliance:

1) Retrofit with the BACT – VDEC (retrofit device)
2) Replace the truck with a newer 2007 Federal emission compliant truck-engine
3) Retire-scrap or re-sale the existing vehicle out of state

Compliance Concepts you will have to choose from to remain in regulatory compliance:
1) Best Actual Control Technology (BACT)    2) BACT turnover for PM and NOx retrofits     3) Fleet Averaging

Q. Whats the proposed CARB mandate regarding Truck emissions?
A. Rule under development
Proposed regulation includes: medium & heavy duty diesel vehicles 14,000 GVWR and higher: trucks, buses, cranes, yard trucks, plus all vehicles not covered under another rule.

Applies to all abovementioned vehicles registered in California AND any abovementioned out-of-state vehicles that enter into California.

Exempt: military tactical vehicles (in-combat), emergency vehicles, vehicles with 2007 and newer engines, personal use vehicles (motorhomes, pickups and other vehicles under 14,000 lbs GVWR.).

Q. Is there funding to help me?
A. Early Compliance Grants
Retrofit funds are available now for early voluntary compliance ahead of the deadline. Contact our Retrofit Emissions specialist for assistance in applying for grant funding to offset retrofit costs.

Q. What are the CARB rules?
A. Rules
For your convenience, we've included ARB links to the full versions of California Air Resources Board's requirements for diesel emission reduction. These rules are very complex and contain many variables pertaining to engine model, year, industry, location(s) of use, hours of operation and more.

Transit Fleet:  http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/bus/tfv/tfvfactsheet.pdf
Urban Bus:  http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/bus/ub/ubfactsheet.pdf
Zero Emission Bus:   http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/bus04/fro2.pdf
Public Agencies & Utilities:   http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/dpmcm05/revfro.pdf
On Road Heavy Duty:   http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/onrdiesel/onrdiesel.htm
Off Road:   http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/ordiesel/documents/Overview_Fact_Sheet-FINAL.pdf

Q. What is the horsepower and torque rating for the Sterling LT-8500 LNG? Is it sufficient to haul 80,000 lbs?
A. The Sterling LT-8500 with the Cummins ISL-G engine is rated at up to 80,000 lbs GCW at 55 MPH for port drayage applications. The engine is warrantied by Cummins Inc. for 5 years or 150,000 miles. In fact, the Sterling LT-8500 LNG truck out accelerates a 12.8 liter diesel tractor with an 80,000 lb load which shows the great applicability of this tractor for drayage in and around the harbor.

Q. What is the maintenance schedule for the Cummins LNG engine?
A. The maintenance intervals include an inspection at 7,500 miles along with oil change and spark plug replacement every 18,000 miles. Also with the Sterling LNG truck, because there is no diesel burned, the Sterling LNG tractor is equipped with a non-dosing no maintenance three-way-catalyst in lieu of a complicated diesel particulate filter which does require maintenance. This Catalyst is very similar to a catalytic converter that is standard equipment on automobiles sold in the US.

Q. What is the expected life of the Cummins engine?
A. The rated B50 life for the Cummins ISL G engine is the exact same as its diesel counterpart. If the average port trucker operates 30-40,000 miles per year, this means Cummins expects the average engine will last without overhaul for 20 years. Remember, 80% of the parts of the NG engine are shared with the diesel version of the engine. In fact, there are over 1,000 Cummins ISL-G natural gas engines in operation in Southern California in applications such as municipal buses and refuse – many of these duty cycles are even tougher than port drayage.

Q. Where can I get my engine serviced?
A. Because the Cummins ISL-G is fully manufactured by Cummins, the engine can be serviced at any Cummins engine distributor and any truck dealer certified to work on the Cummins ISL-G. This includes South Bay Truck Center in Carson, Cummins Cal Pacific and the VVG network of dealerships throughout Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas.

Q. Who provides the warranty for my Sterling and its Cummins engine?
A. Unlike other LNG engines which are modified after they leave the Cummins lant, the Cummins ISL-G engine is installed complete at the Sterling factory like any other engine, and thus it can receive warranty and service work at any authorized Cummins Engine distributor or dealer making the vast network of Cummins warranty locations available to you. You can be confident that your warranty needs will be serviced by Cummins and Sterling without having to rely on a third-party engine modifier to back-up warranty claims.

Q. What is the fuel mileage for the Sterling LNG?
A. Of course actual fuel mileage for any truck varies widely with the driver habits, but in our tests we have seen about a 5% reduction in fuel mileage on a diesel gallon-equivalent basis (1.7 gallons of LNG per gallon of diesel). Combined with the lower price of LNG of a diesel gallon-equivalent basis, this means you can save up to 25% on your fuel costs, depending on the current price of LNG and diesel fuel.

Q. Will I have to replace the Sterling LNG to eventually meet EPA 2010 requirements?
A. The Sterling LT-8500 with the Cummins ISL-G is currently certified to EPA 2010 emissions standards which mean you will not need to replace the vehicle to meet any know emissions guidelines. You can take pride that the Sterling LNG truck is the cleanest commercially available heavy duty truck in the world.

Q. What is the range of the Sterling LNG tractor?
A. The Sterling ISL-G holds 119 gallons of LNG fuel, which is equivalent to 65 gallons of diesel fuel which should give you a range of 225-275 miles.

Q. I’ve heard that the Sterling LNG truck will be replaced by the Freightliner LNG truck after March of 2009 – how will this affect me?
A. Both Sterling and Freightliner are brands under Daimler Trucks, the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer. Daimler has decided to consolidate the Sterling product offerings into the Freightliner brand. Both trucks share the same chassis and driveline with the primary difference being the cab – the Freightliner version will be offered with the M2-112 cab. Due to our strong commitment to natural gas for port drayage and distribution applications we will be producing and taking orders for the Sterling LT-8500 LNG through March of 2009, after which time we will transition to the Freightliner M2-112 chassis. This will provide for continuous availability of the LNG chassis from DTNA for our customers through this transition period.

After the transition in March of 2009 both DTNA brands will be fully supported by the DTNA dealer body including all warranty and service commitments. Although most chassis and drivetrain parts are common with the succeeding Freightliner brand LNG truck, parts specific to the Sterling brand will be available through the DTNA network for a minimum of 10 years.

Q. How do California fleets comply with the
new regulations?
A. It depends on the size of the fleet, their area of operation, the engine model years, and the compliance strategy that they choose.

Q. Who specializes in assisting fleets in a full
compliance strategy?
A. Velocity Vehicle Group has the ability to help fleets with their emission compliance strategy, including retrofitting, truck replacement, and truck retirement, regardless of fleet size, or application.

CLEAN TRUCK PROGRAM FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What is the schedule for banning of older trucks from the Ports?
As of October 1, 2008, trucks from 1988 and older model years will not be allowed access to Port property. As of January 1st 2010, trucks older than the 1994 model year, and unretrofitted trucks from the 1994-2003 model years, will not be allowed access. As of January 1, 2012, all trucks that do not meet 2007 EPA emission levels will not be allowed access.

Q. What trucks are eligible for replacement as "frequent" and "semi-frequent" users?
Currently, "frequent" and "semi-frequent" drivers are defined as making at least 3.5 trips per seven-day week to the Port. However, eligibility requirements may be modified in the future to ensure a sufficient number of trucks are replaced, although trucks with more trips to the Port will have priority.

Q.Are trucks that have been acquired through the Gateway Cities program eligible for a 100% exemption from the Clean Truck ($35/TEU) Fee?
Under the Port of Los Angeles CTP, all trucks funded without Clean Truck Program financing are eligible for a 100% exemption, if they meet the 2007 emission standard. The Port of Long Beach offers different exemptions terms, please consult POLB for details.

Q.Do trucks purchased through the Gateway Cities program meet the Clean Trucks 2007 emission standard?
Some Gateway Cities trucks meet the 2007 standard; however most probably do not.

Q.When will 2004-2006 trucks need to be retrofitted or banned from working at the Port?
The trucks will have to meet 2007 standards by 2012 or the trucks will be banned.

Q. Do 1994-2003 trucks, after a retrofit, meet 2007 federal truck emission standards?
No. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has not verified any technology capable of meeting the 2007 standards. By 2012, the trucks retrofitted with currently available technology will need to be replaced with 2007-compliant trucks, unless CARB verifies “future-retrofitting” technology that will meet 2007 standards.

Q. If a 2007 EPA-compliant Clean Truck is purchased with Clean Truck Program financial assistance, can that vehicle be driven for 10 years without a retrofit?
Yes.

Q. Can we apply for a Concession Agreement now?
The Concession application process is expected to be available on-line in the near future (approximately mid-June 2008). Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

Q. When will the final rules and agreements be available?
Detailed information on the entire program is available now... call 888-578-2430 for more info.

Q. How many trucks will be replaced or retrofitted?
Approximately 16,800 trucks are frequent callers at the Port. The program focuses on these trucks to be replaced or retrofitted to meet 2007 emission standards, although it is unknown how many trucks will ultimately be replaced.

Q. How much will the CTP cost?
We estimate that the cost of replacing or retrofitting trucks approximately 16,000 trucks to meet 2007 emissions standards will total as much as $2 billion.