As discussed in my earlier entry, CARB's "Gear up for Clean Truck Month" was going to manifest the pressure for compliance that we can expect to see from their ongoing enforcement efforts. Based on discussion with CARB officials, their efforts have yielded approximately $1.8 million in penalties in only 2 months.
As a result, the press coverage of this enforcement initiative and CARB's overall enforcement efforts by TV, Radio and newspapers is growing. In addition to the penalties, there are other enforcement efforts that are not yet as high-profile, but can be just as damaging to fleet and equipment owners as the penalties themselves.
Because CARB settlements are considered a matter of "public record", CARB has created a settlement page on their website - noting violators and the fines paid by them. Companies such as JR Transportes, Jake's Towing and All-Star Auto Recycling have already seen their names and fines get published on the CARB website and there are still 118 companies pending settlements that will be posted.
While having your fine amount listed on the CARB website may seem harmless at first, it is only a matter of days until that listing is automatically "picked-up" by popular search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. Potential customers and brokers that might employ your services frequently use the internet to investigate service providers and your violations and penalties could now appear among their search results.
Since these supply chain partners carry liability for CARB violations, companies having violations listed on the CARB website will now be at a distinct competitive disadvantage from normally risk-averse shippers and brokers. This means that your business could potentially experience the hidden penalty - losing out or never learning about sales opportunities due to penalty listings.
You can avoid this possibility by simply becoming compliant with CARB's requirements. This is why we've been trying to keep you informed and provide you with information on CARB requirements, CARB-compliant DPFs, and even DPF financing options.
If you have questions, or are not sure how to become CARB-compliant, simply give us a call at 800-331-9247 (press 9) or email us at carb@cdti.com. Our compliance specialist can help you get started and avoid both visible and hidden CARB penalties.
