State May Put Time Limit on Idling Trucks

California air pollution officials are expected to approve a new rule today that would bar large diesel-powered trucks and transit buses from idling their engines for longer than five minutes.

The rule, which comes two years after the California Air Resources Board adopted similar restrictions on school buses, is expected to help reduce particulate matter pollution by about 1% and cut the gases that help form smog, officials said.

Particulate matter, small flecks that can become lodged in the lungs, have been found to aggravate respiratory ailments, and elevated levels have been linked to increased emergency room visits and premature deaths.

Environmentalists strongly support the idling rule, which some called long overdue. Twenty states and numerous cities already have similar restrictions.

The rule would be enforced primarily by the air board’s 20-member diesel inspection team, which focuses on areas with a lot of truck traffic, such as the Port of Los Angeles and the Nevada border. But the California Highway Patrol would also be able to levy fines of $100.

“I am very pleased this is moving forward, because in my own city, I have heard an earful about it,” said Todd Campbell, a Burbank city councilman and policy director for the Coalition for Clean Air. “This is a big complaint for a lot of people. There are complaints about trucks sitting around residential areas at night.”

State officials said they plan a public awareness campaign to inform truckers and private bus lines of the change. Many drivers leave their diesel vehicles running because of concerns about wear and tear caused by restarting engines, but those don’t apply to newer vehicles, officials said.

“You might look at this as low-hanging fruit that was overlooked. It’s rare for us to find ways to cut this much air pollution this easily,” said air board spokesman Jerry Martin.

Five minutes “gives a guy time to run into the mini-market and grab a cup of coffee ... but if he left that same truck running for an hour while he had lunch, that would be a problem,” Martin said.

The rule, which could take effect as soon as January, would apply to all diesel-powered commercial vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or more.

State officials estimate that 409,000 such vehicles, including transit buses, construction and delivery vehicles and large freight trucks, operate in the state every day.

Buses would be allowed to idle for 10 minutes prior to loading passengers. Vehicles that need to run while standing still to operate cranes and other loading equipment would be exempt.

State officials initially proposed implementing the rule in two phases, with one immediately banning general idling and another, starting in 2009, restricting the idling of the trucks while drivers are resting in their sleeper cabins. But the second phase may be further delayed or scrapped altogether, officials said Wednesday, because of concerns about the effect on the trucking business.

Stephanie Williams, vice president of the California Trucking Assn., said the group supports the idling rule -- as long as truckers can continue sleeping in their cabins during breaks with the motors running, so that they can use air conditioners and heaters.

Truck drivers are required under federal law to take rest breaks, and Williams suggested they would have to use hotel rooms or add electric motors to power air conditioning systems if the second phase of the rule took effect.

“We wouldn’t want to treat truck drivers with less respect than dogs left in cars, would we?” Williams asked jokingly.

“Sleeping in a truck in 100-degree weather somewhere would not be a smart thing to do. Animal shelter rules can’t be more protective than the rules for our truck drivers. That would be inhumane.”