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22 July 2004

California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted a diesel air toxic control measure that requires big rig truck and interstate bus operators to shut their engines down after five minutes of non-essential idling.

The new regulation affects the more than 400,000 heavy-duty diesel trucks and buses registered in California and all out-of-state trucks and buses operating in California. The regulation will eliminate 166 tons of particulate pollution per year and about 6,600 tons per year of smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions from the state's air. As a result of the new measure, California truck and bus operators will each save about 125 gallons of diesel fuel per year, or collectively over one million gallons each week.

More detail from the San Francisco Chronicle here. Information from CARB on the restriction here.