Managed Mobile technicians have completed training through the California Council on Diesel Education and Technology (CCDET). CCDET provides training for fleet and other heavy-duty diesel maintenance personnel, and to personnel of smoke testing services and facilities, by offering courses, through selected California community colleges, that provide an in-depth look at the ARB Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection Program (HDVIP), the Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP), and Diesel Exhaust After-Treatment and Engine Maintenance.
SMOKE OPACITY TESTING
STATE AND FEDERAL TESTING FOR HEAVY-DUTY DIESELS, COMMERCIAL TRUCKS AND TRAILERS
STAY COMPLIANT WITH A FLEET SERVICE PLAN™ (FSP)
State and federal smoke opacity testing for your fleet is part of a Fleet Service Plan™ (FSP) that we will customize for you. A FSP is your path to a safe, compliant, and reliable fleet. In addition to compliance, Diesel Smoke Opacity testing is an important tool to properly maintain the exhaust and emissions system on your fleet vehicles. In fact, repair and maintenance expense on exhaust after-treatment has become one of the largest expense categories for diesel truck fleets, just behind fuel and tires.
Regular testing has several maintenance benefits. A properly maintained exhaust after-treatment system includes regular inspection of the diesel particulate filter (DPF) and the components of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems to ensure proper function. The DPF system traps particulate matter and the SCR system neutralizes/removes gases known as Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) from the truck’s exhaust stream. Annual smoke opacity testing helps verify that the DPF system is functioning correctly and often identifies problems, which if unaddressed, can lead to thousands of dollars in repairs.
CARB - PERIODIC SMOKE INSPECTION PROGRAM TESTING (PSIP)
Managed Mobile performs annual Smoke Opacity Testing to help ensure our client’s compliance with the Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP), mandated and enforced by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Per CARB’s website:
“The PSIP program requires that diesel and bus fleet owners conduct annual smoke opacity inspections of their vehicles and repair those with excessive smoke emissions to ensure compliance. The ARB randomly audits fleets, maintenance and inspection records and tests a representative sample of vehicles. All vehicles that do not pass the test must be repaired and retested. A fleet owner that neglects to perform the annual smoke opacity inspection on applicable vehicles is subject to a penalty of $500.00 per vehicle, per year. Beginning January 1, 2010, Assembly Bill 1488 (Mendoza) has required diesel vehicles (passenger cars and trucks) manufactured after model year 1997 with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 14,000 pounds or less to be included in the California Smog Check Program.”
CALIFORNIA HEAVY-DUTY VEHICLE INSPECTION PROGRAM (HDVIP)
Annual Smoke Opacity Testing performed by Managed Mobile is an important compliance component of our Fleet Service Plan (FSP). In addition to random CARB audits under the PSIP, heavy-duty trucks and buses are also subject to emissions testing and inspection under the California Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection Program (HDVIP):
“The HDVIP program requires heavy-duty trucks and buses to be inspected for excessive smoke and tampering, and engine certification label compliance. Any heavy-duty vehicle traveling in California, including vehicles registered in other states and foreign countries, may be tested. Tests are performed by ARB inspection teams at border crossings, CHP weigh stations, fleet facilities, and randomly selected roadside locations. Owners of trucks and buses found in violation are subject to minimum penalties starting at $300 per violation.”
SMOKE OPACITY TESTING (SAE J1667)
Managed Mobile performs mobile Smoke Opacity Testing (SAE J1667 Snap Idle Test), on-site, at your location. Our trained and certified service technicians adhere to the snap acceleration test procedure for heavy-duty vehicles from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and use test equipment that meets or exceeds the SAE J1667 standard.
A Smoke Opacity Test for a diesel truck engine is equivalent to a traditional smog test for a gasoline engine vehicle. Smoke opacity meters are instruments measuring the optical properties of diesel exhaust. These instruments have been designed to quantify the visible black smoke emission. Smoke and opacity meters are much simpler (some of them very simple) and less costly in comparison to most other instruments used for particulate matter (PM) measurement. There are two groups of instruments: opacity meters to measure density of smoke in the exhaust gas, and smoke number meters that optically measure soot collected on paper filters. Second generation opacity meters use laser light scattering for more sensitive and more accurate measurements, especially as new diesel engines with much lower particulate emissions are brought into service.