Pepsi Bottling Group Trucker Penalized for Air Pollution

The California Air Resources Board, ARB, said Friday that New Bern Transport Corporation of Indianapolis, Indiana failed to conduct required inspections of their heavy duty diesel trucks, resulting in higher emissions of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere.

The Board named the California cities affected by the increased emissions from the New Bern trucks - a long list which includes: San Diego, Brawley, Bakersfield, Mojave, Ventura, Santa Maria, Baldwin Park, Carson, San Fernando, Indio, Buena Park, Riverside, Aliso Viejo, Sunnyvale, Santa Rosa, Benicia, Hayward, Ukiah, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton, Salinas, Redding, Eureka and Durham.

"These routine inspections make sure that diesel trucks stay within their target emission levels," said ARB Chairman Mary Nichols. "Companies that break the law will be held accountable and should also carry the burden of putting public health at risk."

The issue was brought to the attention of ARB enforcement personnel during a routine inspection of New Bern's smoke testing records, which brought to light the extent of the violations.

A truck from the New Bern Transport Corp. Pepsi in-house leasing division is parked at the Palm Bay, Florida Albertson's. (Photo courtesy Russ MacNeil Collection)

As part of the settlement, the responsible New Bern employees will attend a mandatory diesel education and technology class and provide certificates of completion within one year, place emission control labels on all of their heavy duty vehicles and bring them up to federal emission standards, and provide documentation for the next four years that smoke inspections are being carried out on schedule.

ARB will place $210,094 into the California Air Pollution Control Fund. This fund uses settlement fines to conduct air pollution research and fund several programs aimed at reducing emissions as well as educating the public on pollution prevention.

The remaining $70,031 will go to the Peralta Community College District to fund diesel education classes.

A decade ago, the ARB listed diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant in order to protect public health. Exposure to unsafe levels of diesel emissions can increase the risk of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases.

California has sought to cut diesel emissions by cleaning up diesel fuel, requiring cleaner engines for trucks, buses and off-road equipment, and limiting unnecessary idling.

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