Dirty Trucks Must Clean Up Their Act in B.C.

British Columbia will become the first province in Canada to make diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) mandatory on older heavy-duty trucks. This means that nearly 8,000 trucks built between 1989 and 1993 must be retrofitted with special diesel filters by 2009. Newer EPA-mandated trucks built in 2002 as well as this year, virtually eliminate smog-inducing emissions like particulate matter and NOx.

The diesel trucks, says Canada's Environment Minister Barry Penner, are among the worst culprits on the road for emitting a disproportionate amount of particulate matter (PM), which is said to cause respiratory diseases.

“It will have an immediate and tangible benefit,” said Penner. “This will take up to 60 tons per year of particulate matter out of the air we breathe.”

The Canadian government estimates that one older diesel truck emits as much PM as 60 new trucks.

Catalysts to retrofit the vehicles will cost between $1,200 and $2,500 per truck, and are expected to reduce total emissions of PM by up to 3.4 percent and total emissions by nearly half, especially if the rigs use ultra low-sulfur diesel or bio-diesel blends.

Buses and construction equipment are exempt from the requirement for now. DOC retrofits are also planned for government vehicles such as ambulances and school buses.

The order won’t affect RVs, pickup trucks, construction equipment and unlicensed off-road vehicles.

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