The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is pressuring governments to help fight those who tamper with emissions controls on trucks.
While most fleets have complied with ever-tighter emissions standards – and their related costs – other operators have been disconnecting equipment like diesel particulate filters (DPFs), or using electronic means to circumvent electronic control modules.
The alliance wants provincial governments to give roadside enforcement teams the tools to scan and detect if emission systems are regenerating properly and in good working order, or whether they are non-compliant.
This would be similar to the “read-only, plug-in” approach Ontario and Quebec uses to determine speed limiters are working, says Geoff Wood, senior vice-president of policy. Ontario has already shown interest in the emissions-related enforcement, and the CTA has asked the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) to get other provinces to move with roadside enforcement plans of their own.
“Regardless of the method used to circumvent the emissions requirements, the result is direct, high emissions levels of both [particulate matter] and NOx directly into the atmosphere – something we are all striving to prevent,” says Wood.
Even if resources are limited, the jurisdictions could share information about non-compliant trucks found at roadside. If a truck failed a roadside inspection, that could trigger enforcement action for the carrier.
The alliance is also suggesting an update to National Safety Code standards around annual inspections, requiring technicians to plug in to verify an engine complies. If that was followed, a failing vehicle would not earn a valid annual safety inspection.
