British Columbia drivers who don’t keep a lid on emissions from heavy diesel trucks will now be liable for fines and warnings, the province announced Tuesday.
The B.C. transportation ministry has moved its AirCare On-Road (ACOR) program from “educational” to “enforcement” mode, now allowing for fines of $95 and warnings for drivers to get trucks found spouting excessive exhaust fixed within 14 days.
Inspectors with two mobile testing units will conduct spot checks on the road and periodic enforcement at inspection stations, the province said.
ACOR’s rules and fines won’t apply to diesel-powered farm tractors, “implements of husbandry” or other industrial diesel equipment not normally driven on provincial highways.
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But they will apply to any diesel vehicle with a licensed gross vehicle weight (GVW) of over 5,000 kg, which would include diesel grain trucks, a provincial spokesperson said Wednesday.
ACOR inspectors use the standard snap acceleration test to measure the opacity (that is, how much light is blocked by the smoke) of diesel emissions. The test is accepted in North America as the standard test for identifying malfunctioning diesel engines, the province said.
ACOR inspectors with the transportation ministry’s commercial vehicle safety and enforcement (CVSE) have the authority to stop commercial trucks that are emitting smoke.
The province said it has also set up a toll-free hotline for citizens to report an “excessively smoking” truck, at 1-888-775-8785.
The ACOR program is expected to cost about $300,000 a year.
The B.C. transportation ministry assumed administrative and funding responsibility for ACOR in January 2007. That responsibility that was previously shared with TransLink.
