Out-of-State Motorhomes Exempt From California Smog Plan

Above, out-of-state motorhome owners can continue to visit Yosemite
 with no fears of forced emissions testing. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A while back, I blogged about a California plan (scheme is more like it) to smog test vehicles with gross vehicle weight ratings of 14,000 or more and diesel powered. There were no exemptions for out-of-state motorhomes.

Since then, holy hell was raised and the California Air Resource Board backed off.

RV Travel reported:

In early March we reported on the new pollution-reduction rule-making going on in California. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has been tasked by law to create new rules. These apply to diesel-powered vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 14,000 pounds or more. Under the proposed rule, ANY vehicle meeting that criteria, including motorhomes, will be required to undergo periodic emissions testing. After a lot of “intervention” from industry groups, CARB is retreating – a little. Out-of-state motorhomes are exempt.

Three-days-OK shut down

Prior to backing off, CARB indicated it could be expansive and allow non-residents with big diesel motorhomes to cross into the Golden State. Then they could stay without the need for testing. The catch was, they could only stay for 72 hours. It’s hard to imagine much of a visit to California and holding it down to three days. But that was the thinking for CARB rule-drafters.

So when industry-types got wind of the smog stand, it must have rung a bell. The RV Industry Association (RVIA) and campground owners’ associations both in California and on the national level created a stink about the testing plan. One letter from the California RV dealers’ association struck a responsive chord. Using expressions like, “catastrophic impacts not only to rural economy dollars, but the overall economic health of California” and “California will be mocked as having created a system where we make perpetrators out of tourists and subscribe to an infrastructure that enforces the three-day rule” must have stung.

Money talks. Evidently pride does as well. CARB now says motorhomes are exempt from the testing regimen. No three-days-OK permits, no “tailpipe intrusions” and no hooking up a black box to OBD ports. Motorhoming vacationers trying to get a vacation break get a break from intrusive testing. The fine print in the contract does say the visiting motorhomes must be non-commercial in nature to avoid the testing.

To read more, go here. 

California To Roll Out Mandatory Motorhome Emissions Testing

Above, The Beast at North Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I see stories like the following, they make me thank my "lucky stars" that I moved out of California.

Thanks to Gov. Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown and the Democrat-controlled legislature, Commiefornia will be rolling out mandatory motorhome emissions testing. Thanks to the Democrats in the state, California is not only unfriendly to business, it will soon be unfriendly to motorhome RVers. 

Emissions testing for cars is $70 and up. Imagine what it may cost for motorhome testing! And that doesn't even count the sky-high vehicle registration fees!

And, as if it couldn't be any worse, the 2016 law also affects out-of-state visitors to California.

From RV Travel:

Got a big diesel motorhome? What’s big? A motorhome that tips the gross vehicle weight scale of 14,000 pounds or more. The diesel pusher in our photo easily tips over the scale. If you do, you may be in for a rude awakening. California is readying a rollout of mandatory motorhome emissions testing requirements. They’ll go into effect in July 2023. 

Not a California resident? Don’t sigh in relief just yet. As it stands, even folks visiting the Golden State with a “heavy duty vehicle” are subject to some rigorous testing. All of it could slow your entry into the state.

Tailpipe intrusion courtesy of CARB

The genesis of this new tailpipe intrusion comes from a 2016 law. Created under Senate Bill 210 its purpose was to cut air pollution.  The aim is to reduce the amount of nitrous oxide and particulate emissions, “from non-gasoline heavy duty vehicles . . . that operate in California, including out-of-state vehicles.” 

We initially thought the application of the law was to commercial rigs. Sorry, privately owned recreational vehicles fall under the law and the new rules. The rules come straight from the state’s Air Resources Board (CARB). It’s the same agency that has caused more than one gas can owner to hurl naughty words when dealing with eco-conscious fuel containers.

So, once July 2023 arrives, people from states outside of California had better think twice before planning that trip to Yosemite National Park.

To read more, go here.