The California Air Resources Board voted July 22 to restrict most diesel engine idling in the state to five minutes.

However, the board did allow a number of exceptions, and has delayed the effective date for many rules affecting trucks with sleeper berths until 2009. Until then, any trucker in a vehicle with a sleeper berth may idle if that trucker is taking a rest period required under the hours-of-service regulations, Jerry Martin, a spokesman for the air board, told Land Line.

However, all trucks will be subject to some restrictions. For example, all trucks will be restricted to five minutes of idling if they are within 100 feet of a residence. That part of the rule will take effect within the next six months, and truckers who violate it could face a $100 fine per violation.

The idling restrictions will apply to all trucks operating in the state, whether they are based in California or elsewhere. More than 400,000 heavy-duty diesel trucks and buses are registered in California, according to a statement from the air board, and the idling restrictions could reduce consumption of diesel in the state by a million gallons a week.

The board did delay action on some sleeper berth rules to give the agency’s staff time to examine some of the new technologies being offered as an alternative to idling, Martin said.

Meanwhile, sleeper berth-equipped trucks still face some restrictions.

“You’re driving a truck with a sleeper berth, you pull over and go to sleep for 10 hours, that’s fine,” he said. “But when you pull up to Joe’s Sandwich Shop, and you leave your truck running for an hour while you eat, that’s not fine.” In that situation, “you’re going to get treated like any other truck that’s not allowed to idle more than five minutes.”

Martin added that while the rule allows idling during much of a trucker’s business day, idling is not allowed during other “normal” truck activities, such as idling while waiting at a loading dock to load and unload. However, if the truck is in traffic or in a moving line waiting to unload, it is allowed to idle. Other regulations allow idling to run refrigerated units or other auxiliary equipment.

Most of the enforcement effort will focus on areas frequented by big rigs. During the hearing, Catherine Witherspoon of the Air Resources Board staff indicated that enforcement personnel would target areas where the board “expected to find the largest number of vehicles” likely to idle. Speakers mentioned areas around ports and trucks stops as examples. The enforcement efforts will be coordinated with California’s local air quality districts.

Most of those who spoke at the hearing – both from the trucking industry and environmental groups – supported the final version of the regulations, although a few did express concerns about specific points. Those trucking officials who did speak at the hearing were from the carrier side of the industry.

A number of witnesses urged the board to coordinate its efforts to develop any regulations with the federal EPA, because most trucks in California are interstate trucks, and to develop a larger market for idling reduction devices.

The board’s staff also indicated that they planned to work with “stakeholders” – meaning trucking industry officials – on issues related to the upcoming regulations for trucks with sleeper berths. A rulemaking is expected on those regulations sometime around 2005, with rules to take effect in 2009.

However, the 2009 date is not set in stone. One staff member said during the hearing that the staff intended to look at whether the 2009 date for sleeper berth idling restrictions “can be accelerated.”

The board also spent some time talking about alternative to idling, such as GenSets and Auxiliary Power Units for trucks. The idling rules do allow truckers to use the diesel-fuel-powered units, though Martin said that did raise some concerns among board staff.

“One of the little confounding factors in the ’09 issues is that we expect the ’07 trucks to be cleaner than the APUs,” Martin said.

The board also heard testimony on no-idling services. Bob Wilson of IdleAire, who spoke during the hearing, said his company has identified 77 target locations in California where the firm could install its idle-elimination system. If all 77 were built, they would provide more than 10,000 spaces, including many in the Southern California Air Quality Management District, which includes the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, as well as the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley.

Some reports have said the new idling rules will become effective “immediately,” but Martin said they might not become effective until spring. Martin said the rules must be approved by the state’s Office of Administrative Law, which usually takes about six months.

Before the rules become final, the Air Resources Board will take public comment one more time. Martin said trucking organizations and media outlets would be informed before the public comment period so truckers can give the board input.

- by Mark H. Reddig, associate editor

Mark Reddig can be reached at mark_reddig@landlinemag.com.