April 15–16, 2014
CRA Board of Directors Meeting - San Diego, CA

July 15–16, 2014
CRA Board of Directors Meeting - Lake Tahoe, CA

July 17-21, 2014
CRA RV Campout - Lake Tahoe, CA

See CRA's Calendar page for more information on our upcoming events.

 

CRA's 2014 Rental Rally Tradeshow is scheduled for January 14 and 15 in Southern California, at the Fairplex in Pomona. The tradeshow will include two days of equipment, party and services exhibits and an outdoor equipment display/demo area. Store tours, an opening cocktail party and a show banquet are also planned. Thank you to exhibitors who have recently signed up! Click on "Learn More" to see this list of exhibitors and more information about the show.
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Customers of the Wacker Neuson Group from all industries are increasingly resorting to financing offers in order to maintain their liquidity, despite bigger investments. A high percentage of all new machines in the compact equipment range and also of construction equipment is already being financed today. To be able to advise customers about financing options at the point of equipment sale, the Wacker Neuson Group entered into a global cooperation with De Lage Landen (DLL), a specialized provider of asset-based finance solutions, in July 2013. In Germany, where the partners cooperate in the form of a virtual joint venture, the customers receive tailor-made financing solutions from DLL that fit their needs under the brand "Wacker Neuson Finance."
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In an October 8th press release, Multiquip announced the MQ POWER Tier 4 Final DCA25SSIU4F and DCA45SSIU4F WhisperWatt Generators. The fully lockable, sound-attenuated, weather-resistant e-coat painted steel housing allows for safe, unattended operation and provides quiet performance. Both units have an innovative, spill-containment design that protects the environment by capturing any engine fluids. The renowned operational ease of use of MQ POWER generators with the familiar, user-friendly panel-lit instrumentation and controls has analog gauges displaying critical engine functions and real-time electrical output.
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The September 27th CalChamber Alert Newsletter reported that a California Chamber of Commerce-supported job creator bill that stops drive-by lawsuits and another which creates a dependable tax environment are among many CalChamber-backed bills that passed the Legislature this year and now await action by the Governor.

• AB 227 (Gatto; D-Los Angeles) protects small businesses from shake-down lawsuits related to alleged missing or inadequate signage required by Proposition 65 by providing them with a 14-day window to address a signage violation in certain situations, thereby avoiding a private lawsuit. AB 227 received overwhelming unanimous support from every committee to review it, as well as the Assembly and Senate.

• AB 1412 (Bocanegra; D-Pacoima) repeals the Franchise Tax Board’s (FTB) decision to retroactively tax small business investors who relied in good faith on the law when they made the decision to invest in California and use the Qualified Small Business tax incentive, which was recently found unconstitutional.
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In petroleum markets, October is typically the time when attention shifts to heating fuels. In its October 2013 Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook, the U.S. Information Administration (EIA) is projecting the retail price of heating oil to average $3.68 per gallon this winter heating season (October 2013 — March 2014). This price would be 19 cents per gallon lower than the average price during the winter of 2012-13 and reflects EIA's lower price forecast for Brent crude oil, which petroleum product prices in the Northeast track, along with narrower crack spreads for distillate fuel. The Northeast accounts for 80% of total U.S. oil use for space heating. EIA expects households heating primarily with heating oil to spend an average of $46 (2%) less this winter than last winter, reflecting a 5% decrease in retail prices and a 3% increase in consumption. However, relatively low inventory levels as a result of strong global demand for distillate fuel could contribute to price volatility if temperatures significantly below forecast levels result in higher demand.
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All diesel-fueled trucks, buses, trailers and transportation refrigeration units operating in California, including those based out of state, have requirements to reduce air pollution and improve the state's overall air quality. Avoid penalties due to manufacturer delay — order soot filters by September 1, 2013 to meet January 1, 2014 requirements for the Truck & Bus Regulation. Only purchase CARB-verified filters. Check before you buy! See the DPF handbook: A Truck Driver’s Guide to Care and Maintenance of Diesel Particulate Filters.

This Month's Most Frequent Question! -- I am a small fleet. Is there any extra extension I can use in addition to the Small Fleet Option?
Prop 1B funding is available for diesel truck replacement or repower. Applications will be accepted for a limited time starting August 26, 2013.
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The ARB's Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection Program and Periodic Smoke Inspection Program were adopted into law in 1988 to control excessive smoke emissions and tampering from heavy-duty diesel trucks and buses. The regulations Title 13 CCR, sections 2180-2189 for HDVIP and Title 13 CCR, sections 2190-2194 for PSIP, which govern these programs, were last amended in 2013.

The HDVIP program requires heavy-duty trucks and buses to be inspected for excessive smoke and tampering and for engine certification label compliance. Any heavy-duty vehicle traveling in California, including vehicles registered in other states and foreign countries, may be tested. Tests are performed by ARB inspection teams at border crossings, CHP weigh stations, fleet facilities and randomly selected roadside locations. Owners of trucks and buses found in violation are subject to minimum penalties starting at $300 per violation.
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Owners or Operators of portable engines and certain other types of equipment can register their units under the Air Resources Board's (ARB) Statewide Portable Equipment Registration Program (PERP) in order to operate their equipment throughout California without having to obtain individual permits from local air districts. The following sections will assist you with the PERP registration process and present facts on the Portable Diesel Engine Airborne Toxic Control Measure (ATCM).

As of January 1, 2013, the Portable Engine Airborne Toxic Control Measure (ATCM) fleet standards went into effect. The ATCM requires owners of portable engines to submit a statement of compliance signed by a Responsible Official to the Air Resources Board by March 1, 2013. In addition to the statement of compliance, a summary that identifies each portable engine in the fleet and the associated emission rate (g/bhp-hr) must be included.

Considering Making Changes to Your Fleet? The ATCM also requires owners to ensure that the average PM emission level for their fleet does not fall out of compliance due to changes in the composition of the fleet. Buying, selling, or modifying engines could result in a fleet becoming noncompliant. PERP registrants considering adding, removing and/or modifying engines in their fleet are strongly encouraged to re-calculate their fleet average to ensure that the fleet is still compliant with the applicable standard before submitting requests to ARB.
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The small off-road engine (SORE) category consists of off-road spark-ignition engines below 25 horsepower, including small utility equipment, lawn mowers and weed trimmers. This category does not include compression-ignition engines, watercraft or recreational vehicles. ARB has a page on its website that includes general information regarding small off-road engines and ARB's SORE program. Click on "Learn More" to access this page.
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The regulation requires diesel trucks and buses that operate in California to be upgraded to reduce emissions. Heavier trucks must be retrofitted with particulate matter (PM) filters beginning January 1, 2012, and older trucks must be replaced starting January 1, 2015. By January 1, 2023, nearly all trucks and buses will need to have 2010 model year engines or equivalent.

What's New? Advisory on Extension of Particulate Matter Filter Requirement for Certain Types of Cranes (July 10, 2013) Mail-Out 13-17 provides a PM filter compliance extension for certain types of cranes until January 1, 2018 and explains how compliance is determined when using the extension.
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This area of the Off-Road Mobile Sources website pertains to off-road large spark-ignition (LSI) equipment greater than 25 horsepower, including farm, construction, and industrial equipment, powered by gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other alternate fuels. Typical applications that use LSI engines include forklifts, specialty vehicles, airport service vehicles, large turf care equipment, portable generators, and a wide array of other agricultural, construction, and general industrial equipment. The U.S. EPA has sole authority to control new farm and construction equipment under 175 horsepower.
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On July 26, 2007, the Air Resources Board (ARB) adopted a regulation to reduce diesel particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions from in-use (existing) off-road heavy-duty diesel vehicles in California. For more information, please call the diesel vehicle information hotline at (866) 6-DIESEL or (866) 634-3735.

Posted April 23, 2013: The revised Fleet Average Calculator for large fleets is now available. The calculator is for the large fleet January 1, 2014 compliance date only. The Fleet Average Calculator is an Excel spreadsheet designed to assist fleet owners in calculating their Fleet Average Index and Fleet Average Targets, based on the equipment model year and horsepower input. The calculator allows fleets to experiment with different turnover, repower and retrofit strategies to plan for compliance with the in-use off-road diesel vehicle regulation.
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The Truck and Bus Regulation will reduce diesel exhaust emissions from privately owned and federal government diesel trucks and buses. Privately and publicly owned school buses have different requirements and do not need to be reported. This CARB site has the Truck Regulations Upload and Compliance Reporting System (TRUCRS) and was last reviewed July 25, 2013.
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In December 2011 major amendments to the Off-Road Diesel Vehicle Regulation, which include delaying the first compliance date to no earlier than January 1, 2014, became effective. The changes to the regulation are reflected in the fact sheets, advisories and answers to frequently asked questions available on the Knowledge Center for the Off-Road Diesel Vehicle Regulation Web page.
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Driving Toward a Cleaner California (DTCC) is a coalition of owner-operators, farmers, construction contractors and other business and community leaders committed to working with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to craft a sensible truck and bus replacement rule that both cleans the air and keeps California's economy moving forward.
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