For those of us here in California with our "heavy-duty" vehicles, be they diesel powered rv's or commercial trucks, as you all know we are now required to register these vehicles and go through the process of paying yearly certification fees to the state as well as having the vehicle physically tested by a licensed inspector. This process we are told is to, "realize substantial emissions reductions from the heavy-duty vehicle sector and reduce the risk of harmful criteria pollutant exposure to all individuals living in California." And perhaps provide another source of revenue for the state. I, and as many of you have learned as we went through the process of deciphering the state's registration web site was that it really wasn't all that difficult. The unknown was the testing operation. I am happy to report that my experience with the actual testing was quite positive. My expectations were that the test would be difficult to schedule, time consuming, and a potentially expensive proposition, especially if the motorhome had to be driven to a test facility. I found that none of these concerns occurred, not even close.
Our 2019 Dutch Star is kept in a very large multi-building indoor storage facility here in south San Diego, CA. I asked the manager if knew if any of the hundred-plus of diesel vehicles in residence had done the new "smog" tests, and if he had heard any comments on the process. The answer was, "Yes, some very good reports," and he provided the web site. As the process turned out, I found there is an excellent nationwide business called Be CARB Compliant that specializes in emission testing.
https://becarbcompliant.com/ On this web site you should find just an answer to just about any question you might have regarding the testing of heavy-duty diesel vehicles in all states. I asked the testing technician specifically about the coverage of California and was told that, "Be CARB Compliant covers the entire state."
I made my appointment for Saturday March 8. Usually Be CARB Compliant does tests Monday-Friday but will make special appointments on request. The important question I had was resolved when I learned that I would not have to take the Dutch Star to a testing facility, Be CARB Compliant comes to you, and there is no additional fee for this service. You may be wondering, "Yes, but how much are they going to charge for the test, and probably extra for the time and distance traveled to do the test?" This was another pleasant surprise, only $125.00 for all diesel motorhomes. That is exactly the same for what I paid a couple weeks ago to have a 1997 Jeep Cherokee smog checked! The test is very simple and takes probably less than a minute once their OBD test equipment is connected to your OBD outlet. I thought the test would be something like the regular automobile smog testing we have here in California, not so at all. I was told that basically their OBD reader is only checking that there are no emission related codes stored and that there is no Check Engine Light illuminated. And that's it..., you're done and Be CARB Compliant does the rest.
Of course, what I'm speaking of here is the test of a newer than 2016 diesel vehicle. If your vehicle is pre-2016 the test is only slightly different in that their equipment has a device on a tripod with a tube that goes into the exhaust pipe to measure some sort of emission, sorry but I can't remember what that item was. I believe the technician mentioned just one item. California CARB wanted two, but when the final decision was made pre-2016 diesel rv's were exempted from one of the items. I forgot to ask whether or not they plug into the OBD but if you call them, they will answer all your questions.
The information gathered by the OBD reader on post-2016 heavy duty diesel vehicles is automatically electronically transmitted to the company's headquarters, and it is then forwarded to the California CARB "Clean Air Resource Board." The CA CARB takes the test result, and it is sent on to the CA DMV. Again, all this data transfer is done electronically. When you go to register your motorhome with the DMV, online, or AAA, whichever you might be using; they will have the information to authorize the issuance of the yearly tag. Because you have already registered with the CA CARB,
https://cleantruckcheck.arb.ca.gov/ you will be able to go to your account and see to the day, hour, minute, and second when you had your diesel vehicle tested and the results. Today I went to AAA to pay the registration fee, and quite truthfully held my breath as to whether all these governmental transfers of information would really be successful. Indeed, all was good and the first year of this yearly event was completed quite painlessly.
Incidentally, even though you receive your yearly license renewal paperwork from the CA DMV you will not see anything on the form that says you are required to go through this diesel testing. You most definitely are required to do so and, as I was told, will be denied your registration update and new tag should you not comply with the testing procedure. If you happen to slip through the bureaucratic cracks and be issued a tag without having the vehicle tested, make sure you aren't stopped for a traffic violation. I was assured by a BE CARB Compliant representative that your vehicle's information is readily available for law enforcement personal and the fines for this offense accumulate monthly and are substantial.
If you do not live in California, but your state has some sort of emission testing for heavy diesel vehicles Be CARB Compliant will more than likely be available but may vary slightly in the process outlined above.
Yes, it's unfortunate that we here in the Golden State have to go through the process in the first place, but the folks at Be CARB Compliant have really taken care of all the requirements to make the testing extremely easy. I'm definitely impressed with their entire operation.
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