Drivers of Trucks That Fail Soot Test Have to Cough Up

Dear Street Smart:

Can you tell me why it is that those of us who drive personal vehicles are required to have our cars “smog-checked,” yet day after day, large trucks, semis, etc., can be seen belching huge gobs of black smoke on our freeways, highways and streets? Are they exempt?

Mary Regan, Tustin

Diesel-powered trucks and buses are not exempt from air pollution regulations, and you should find fewer truck polluters on the road as the state’s smog-check program for diesels picks up speed. Already 3,640 vehicles have been cited for emission problems since enforcement began in December, 1991, bringing in over $1 million in fines.

“We see fewer and fewer violations,” said Jerry Martin, a spokesman for the California Air Resources Board.

Compared to cars, trucks produce relatively small amounts of the gases that contribute to smog. Instead, the soot they emit is the serious concern. Soot particles can damage lung tissue and are harmful in other ways.

Trucks emitting more soot than allowed by state law can easily be spotted visually by trained personnel. For this reason, California stations people in key locations to check trucks.

“We have a number of teams which operate primarily out of California Highway Patrol weigh stations and at (state) border crossings,” Martin said. “We’re positioning ourselves at places every truck has to go,” he said.

Given that trucks pass through weigh stations frequently, they are being checked more often than automobiles are, which is once every two years.

Trucks that fail the visual soot test are stopped and given an electronic test. If they fail this, the driver faces a fine of at least $300, more if the truck is not repaired promptly.

Trucks in good mechanical condition using proper fuel should pass the soot test without problems. Poor maintenance or tampering with standard equipment are the main reasons why trucks may fail the soot test. Failures also occur when drivers try to “stretch” their diesel fuel by using kerosene or other additives, Martin said.

By 1994, all new trucks and buses in the United States must be practically “soot-free.” In California, buses already must meet this requirement. Their stop-and-go driving patterns produce more soot, so they were targeted first.

Aside from the soot test, the state is also requiring that diesel fuel be reformulated to reduce particle emissions. By 1993, diesel fuel in the state will have less sulfur, a main cause of soot.

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Dear Street Smart:

When you head south on the Santa Ana Freeway toward the Garden Grove Freeway, you can see where the overhead sign has had “Orange” erased leaving only “Long Beach.” This is obviously a mistake, since the transition ramp to the westbound Garden Grove is closed for repairs while the eastbound Garden Grove, toward Orange, is open.

Dennis J. Lockwood, Buena Park

Caltrans is using that overhead sign to warn that the westbound Garden Grove is closed. If you look again, you’ll notice that under the “Long Beach” are the words “Connector Closed.”

So far, yours is the only complaint that Caltrans has heard about the sign being confusing, according to spokesman Steve Saville. If others are having problems, they can let Caltrans know at (714) 724-2000, Saville said.

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Dear Street Smart:

I am very concerned about the need for a pedestrian crossing signal at the intersection of Prospect and Maple avenues in Orange, where there is a very densely populated apartment complex. There is a constant flow of foot traffic between this complex and a local market on the other side of Prospect.

It seems that some control device would greatly improve the situation between drivers and pedestrians, especially as we near the time change. I personally have experienced difficulty seeing pedestrians at dusk.

Nancy Amo, Orange

Normally, the city would not paint a crosswalk where traffic signals do not exist, according to Dave Allenbach, an assistant traffic engineer in Orange. However, a few years ago, people in that area were crossing Prospect at various points. A crosswalk was painted to help funnel foot traffic into one main area.

While the crosswalk has helped reduce the potential for accidents, the city still would like to improve safety there, Allenbach said. In the summer, the city’s Traffic Commission considered installing traffic signals at the intersection but found that there was too little automobile traffic to justify one, Allenbach said.

There was also the thought of installing at least a flashing warning light; however, these tend to lose their effectiveness over time.

“They work great for a few months, but after a while, the flasher becomes almost invisible to the driver, because they become used to it,” Allenbach said.

Instead of a signal or flasher, the City Council will be asked to fund the installation of a new street light on the west side of Prospect. There is already one on the east side, and it is hoped that additional lighting will make pedestrians in the crosswalk more visible.

Allenbach noted that the few accidents that have occurred there have all been in the day, but additional lighting should provide more insurance against a nighttime accident.