The California Air Resources Board has issued an advisory recommending transport refrigeration unit (reefer) owners take action to plan and order compliance options to ensure TRU model year 2006 engines, or units manufactured in 2006, comply with in-use performance standards by the end of this year.

It says all model year 2005 and older TRU engines, or units manufactured in 2005 or earlier, should be in compliance now. It notes that trailer manufacture year and in-service dates are not used to determine TRU compliance dates.

Noncompliant model year 2005 and older TRU engines/units must not be operated in California unless they are brought into compliance immediately.

For model year 2006 engines/units, purchase orders must be placed in the next few months for in-use TRU compliance technology to qualify for a compliance extension. CARB regulations allow compliance extensions if delivery or installation is delayed, but to qualify for these extensions, the TRU must be registered in CARB’s equipment registration system, known as ARBER, and purchase orders must be placed early enough to take into account delivery, installation, holiday, and year-end lead times.  

The purchase order deadlines are:

• For engine repowers and TRU replacements: by the end of August, four months ahead of the compliance deadline.

• For verified diesel particulate filter retrofits:  By the end of October ˆ two months ahead of the compliance deadline.

For model year 2006 engines/units, CARB says owners must make a good-faith effort to comply by the end of 2013.  If in-use compliance cannot be achieved by December 31, due to delays in delivery or installation, reefer owners may apply for a compliance extension.

To qualify for an in-use compliance extension, the reefer must be registered with ARBER, purchase orders must be placed by the purchase order deadlines and a compliance extension application with attached supporting documentation must be received at CARB by December 31.

For more information about the TRU Regulation, visit the TRU website or the CARB trucking website.