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Reporter: California to require heavy-duty on board diagnostic systems in 2010

October 05, 2008 |

EPA has approved a waiver that allows California’s Air Resources Board to require on board diagnostic systems on heavy-duty vehicles and engines starting in 2010.

On board diagnostics, or OBD, monitor engine performance – including emission controls – and identify failures. OBD systems have been installed on new light-duty cars and trucks since 1996.

According to California ARB, implementing OBD systems will lead to much lower emissions from heavy-duty fleets by alerting operators to malfunctions in components such as diesel particulate filters, and thus lead to faster repairs. “Engine manufacturers have made great strides in emission controls and OBD systems will help ensure those emission controls are robust and durable,” notes Karen Caesar, information officer, California ARB.

Some industry associations voiced concerns to the EPA that California ARB’s OBD program will cause other states to consider opting into California’s program, which could lead to confusion when and if the EPA decides to propose its own heavy-duty OBD rule.

Robert Meyers, principal deputy assistant administrator at the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, admitted EPA’s decision “will affect not only persons in California, but also manufacturers outside the state who must comply with California’s requirments to produce heavy-duty vehicles and engines for sale in California.”
- Barbara Cox

High visibility safety apparel regulation to take effect next month
All workers on public roads projects will have to wear high-visibility apparel, according to a revised American National Standards Institute standard that takes effect November 28. The standard updates an ANSI/ISEA regulation approved five years ago and provides a uniform guide for users.

Previously, personnel working on public roads where required by law to wear high-visibility apparel only if they were working on federal-aid highway projects. The proposed Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) calls for all personnel; construction, utility, survey crews, incident responders and law enforcement to wear the approved high-visibility apparel for work in close proximity to any public road.

The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse held a webinar to explain the new regulation and included speakers Hari Kalla, MUTCD Team Leader for the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Operations and Janice Bradley, Technical Director of the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA).