Did you miss the April 29, 2011, deadline to register your Ag truck? California Air Resources Board has re-opened registration for trucks used in agriculture that have been owned since Jan. 1, 2009, and will be operated within specific mileage thresholds. If you have an eligible truck, you can register it online now.
A recent Ag Alert article recapped the specifics of the change in the Ag truck rule:
Many trucks owned by farming businesses or log harvest operations can qualify for a compliance extension, if they are used exclusively for growing or harvesting crops for the primary purpose of making a profit or to deliver the harvested crop. These trucks must have been owned by Jan. 1, 2009, and must stay below annual mileage limits to qualify for the extension.
Compliance is extended until 2023 if the vehicle travels less than 10,000 miles annually. If more mileage is needed, vehicles can be driven as shown in the chart below, based on their engine model year, until Jan. 1, 2017.[table id=3 /]
By 2017, these vehicles must comply with any applicable PM filter and replacement requirements, just as non-agricultural vehicles must. Starting in 2017, only vehicles that are operated less than 10,000 miles every year can continue to have the extension until Jan. 1, 2023, if they continue to operate less than 10,000 miles per year. Vehicles that exceed the mileage limits in any year must comply with the general requirements that other trucks do.
The Ag truck registration re-opening was announced at an October 24 meeting where CARB also announced that registration for the low-mileage construction provision will be re-opened and that additional funding opportunities — targeted to small fleets and log trucks — will be available.
Two other changes discussed, but not confirmed, were the possibility of adjusting NOx Exempt Area provisions by changing compliance deadlines and regions covered and compliance deadlines and the possibility of increasing the low-use vehicle threshold from 1,000 miles a year to 5,000 miles a year.
Be sure to visit the CARB website for updates and changes to regulations and registration requirements. I recommend that you sign up for email updates on the topic of your choice. I’ll try to keep you up-to-date here, and Ag Alert is also an excellent resource.
Jack Young, ASA, CPA
Diesel equipment appraiser
NorCal Valuation Inc.
