US trucking firm fined $100k for not installing pollution filters

A trucking company in the US has been hit with a $100,000 (£65,340) fine for failing to install emissions controls in its fleet. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said […]

A trucking company in the US has been hit with a $100,000 (£65,340) fine for failing to install emissions controls in its fleet.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Estes Express Lines violated the California Truck and Bus Regulation as it didn’t have particulate filters on 73 of its heavy-duty diesel trucks.

That’s 15% of its fleet in the state, it added.

Estes is a private, for-hire trucking firm that owns and operates diesel-fuelled vehicles in all 50 states.

Trucking companies in California must ensure their subcontractors are only using compliant trucks and are required to upgrade their vehicles to meet specific Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) standards.

Heavy-duty diesel trucks must meet 2010 engine emissions levels or use diesel particulate filters which can reduce emissions by 85% or more.

The rules for trucks in California are said to be the first of their kind in the US and is expected to prevent an estimated 3,500 deaths by 2025, according to the EPA.

Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest said: “Trucks are the largest sources of air pollution in California and the state has the worst air quality in the nation. EPA’s enforcement efforts are aimed at ensuring all truck fleets operating in California are in compliance with pollution laws.”

Estes Express Lines must also spend $290,400 (£189,734) towards projects that educate the out-of-state trucking industry on the regulation and for replacing old wood burning devices in the San Joaquin Valley.

Latest Podcast