CARB Steps Up Border Area Enforcement
The California Air Resources Board says it has stepped up enforcement of its diesel truck regulations to ensure that only vehicles compliant with California's stringent anti-pollution laws travel across the U.S. border into the state.


The California Air Resources Board says it has stepped up enforcement of its diesel truck regulations to ensure that only vehicles compliant with California's stringent anti-pollution laws travel across the U.S. border into the state.
All trucks transporting cargo originating from, or going to a regulated port or rail yard in the state must be compliant drayage trucks. Among other violations it is looking for at the border are “dray-offs”, when a compliant truck exchanges cargo with a noncompliant truck on or off port property.
“Starting last fall, CARB staff has been regularly visiting the border towns of Otay Mesa and Calexico to educate truckers and business owners in English and Spanish about how to comply with our regulations and what happens when you don’t,” said CARB Enforcement Chief Jim Ryden. "We have been working diligently to send a strong, consistent message that the benefits of compliance far outweigh the risks of ignoring or procrastinating when it comes to cleaning up your vehicles or participating in illegal dray-off."
Truckers may receive stiff penalties for participating in a dray-off. In addition, motor carriers and transport companies that dispatch trucks involved in dray-offs can face fines.
In 2012, CARB conducted 3,650 inspections on 1,938 trucks in Otay Mesa, Calexico, and Tecate to check compliance with a variety of rules including excessive idling, correct engine labeling, smoke emissions and tampering, and use of verified emissions reductions equipment for compliance with CARB regulations. A total of 261 citations were issued.
CARB is reminding the trucking industry that drayage trucks must be registered with the agency and be upgraded or replaced according to a specific timetable. The Truck and Bus regulation also requires heavy duty diesel trucks to be cleaned up.
Information about how to comply can be found by visiting ARB’s informational Truck Stop website or view a Summary of Requirements for diesel truck and equipment owners.
More Drivers
How Top Trucking Fleets Improve Driver Retention [Video]
What do healthy snacks, optimized routing, and just picking up the phone have in common? They're all strategies the Best Fleets to Drive For are using to retain truck drivers.
Read More →
Trucker Path Adds Verisk CargoNet Theft Data to Navigation Platform
Trucker Path’s new cargo theft risk overlays give drivers and fleets visibility into high-risk areas, stolen commodity trends, and theft hotspots.
Read More →
Netradyne Intelligence Uses New AI Agents to Automate Response to In-Cab Camera Data
The company called the next-generation in-cab camera safety platform "a fundamental shift from systems that report on what happened to systems that actively drive what should happen next."
Read More →
Why Truck Detention Keeps Costing Fleets Time and Money
A 2024 ATRI study found detention affects nearly 40% of truckload stops and costs the industry more than $15 billion annually. Despite the toll on drivers, fleets, and supply chains, the problem remains stubbornly persistent.
Read More →
Prime Inc. to Open $7.9M Flagship Used-Truck Dealership
A new driver-focused facility to sell Prime Inc's used trucks and trailers will be the first purpose-built location in the company's history.
Read More →Short Takes: Inside K&B’s Truck Safety Tech
Listen to learn how K&B Transportation uses cellphone-blocking technology, speed management systems, weather geofencing, bridge avoidance tools, and more to improve driver safety.
Read More →
Nussbaum Expands Driver Compensation with Pay Raises, Profit Sharing
Nussbaum Transportation said its latest compensation package could push first-year driver earnings above $90,000 in key hiring markets.
Read More →Listen: Inside Modern Fleet Safety: AI, Cameras & Speed Control at K&B Transportation
Fleet safety is evolving fast—and technology is at the center of it. Learn how a former commercial vehicle enforcement officer turned director of safety at K&B Transportation is embracing real-world safety technology.
Read More →
Maverick Announces 2026 Driver Pay Raises
New raises for Maverick Transportation drivers will take effect on May 31, 2026.
Read More →
Illinois Trucker Indicted for Nearly $22,000 in Ohio Turnpike Toll Evasion
Authorities say an Illinois trucker avoided paying tolls for two years, and now faces felony charges, possible prison time, and forfeiture of his Freightliner tractor.
Read More →
