acramento - The California Air Resources Board fined Chemical Transfer Company last month for $6,500 for diesel emissions violations.

An ARB investigation showed Chemical Transfer Company, based in Stockton, Calif., failed to properly inspect their diesel vehicles during 2008 and 2009.

“All trucking companies must properly inspect and maintain their diesel vehicles to ensure that California’s emissions goals are achieved,” said ARB Enforcement Chief James Ryden. “The emissions from diesel trucks are very detrimental to the public’s health.”The law requires owners of California-registered truck fleets to regularly inspect their vehicles to ensure that their engine emissions meet state air quality standards.

Chemical Transfer is required to:

• Guarantee employees responsible for conducting the inspections attend a training class on diesel emissions compliance testing and provide certificates of completion within one year;
• Provide documentation to ARB that the inspections are being carried out for the next four years;
• Ensure all heavy-duty diesel vehicles have their software updated with the latest low-NOx (oxides of nitrogen emissions) programming;
• Instruct vehicle operators to comply with the state's idling regulations; and,
• Ensure all diesel trucks are up to federal emissions standards for the vehicle model year and are properly labeled with an emission control label.

Chemical Transfer paid $6,500 in penalties: $4,875 went to the California Air Pollution Control Fund for projects and research to improve California's air quality. The Peralta Community College District received $1,625 to fund emissions education classes conducted by participating California community colleges.

Diesel exhaust contains a variety of harmful gases and over 40 other known cancer-causing compounds. In 1998, California identified diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant based on its potential to cause cancer, premature death and other health problems.