Government Slams the Brakes on High-Polluting Trucks

April 1, 2008

VANCOUVER – The Ministry of Transportation’s AirCare On-Road (ACOR) Program is moving from an educational system to an enforcement system by introducing fines to drivers of high-polluting commercial diesel trucks, announced Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon and Environment Minister Barry Penner today.

“The exhaust from diesel vehicles contains particulate matter, which damages our health and our environment,” said Falcon. “We want to reduce smog-forming emissions from heavy trucks across B.C., and that’s why we are launching a new system of issuing fines to high-polluters.”

Two mobile testing units will conduct spot checks on the road and periodic enforcement at inspection stations across the province. The units are operated by certified ACOR inspectors with the transportation ministry’s Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE), who have the authority to stop commercial trucks that are emitting smoke. If the vehicle exceeds legislated emission standards, the driver will be issued a $95 fine and a warning to obtain mechanical repairs within 14 days.

ACOR inspectors use the standard snap acceleration test to measure the opacity (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. Higher opacity readings are connected with higher particulate matter emissions.

“Clean technologies could save our health-care system up to $85 million a year – and alleviate the human suffering that cost represents,” said Penner. “B.C. is already the first province in Canada to make emissions reduction technology mandatory in older commercial transport diesel vehicles.”

“It’s in the best interest of truck drivers to keep their vehicles running cleanly,” said Falcon. “A well-maintained diesel engine means cleaner air, lower fuel costs, lower maintenance and a longer engine life.”

The ministry assumed administrative and funding responsibility for ACOR in January 2007, a responsibility that was previously shared with TransLink. The cost of the program is approximately $300,000 annually.

The Province has also introduced a new hotline, for citizens to report an excessively smoking truck (1-888-775-8785). For more information, visit www.th.gov.bc.ca/ACOR/.