Air Resources Board finds heavy-duty vehicles a drag: panel proposes changes to improve fuel efficiency.

OWNERS and operators of big rig trucks, tractors and other heavy-duty vehicles would have to take steps to reduce fuel-consuming drag under a greenhouse gas reduction proposal being mulled by state regulators.

The California Air Resources Board, which is implementing the state's landmark greenhouse gas reduction law, came out with proposals last month to reduce friction and air resistance of heavy-duty vehicles, thereby increasing fuel efficiency.

This effort is separate from the much more sweeping rule the agency is developing to cap and reduce diesel emissions from on-road heavy-duty vehicles. But it's likely to meet similar resistance from truck owners who say the cost of these retrofits would cut more deeply into their already thin margins.

Under the proposed rule, all heavy-duty vehicles built in or after 2010 must come with low-resistance tires that use materials minimizing friction when the tires roll along roads. They must also come with "fairings"--plastic or metallic strips designed to cover the gaps in a truck's profile, typically between the driving cab and the trailer. The gaps allow air to pass through at different angles, increasing a vehicle's drag.

Most trucks built after 2005 would have to install low-resistance tires and fairings between 2010 and 2014; fleet owners with more than 19 trailers would have to report their compliance to the state.

Air Resources Board officials note that small business owners can get U.S. Small Business Administration "express loans" to make these and other technology upgrades in their trucks. They also plan to explore "other financing options."

This agency is currently holding several informational meetings on the proposal around the state to seek comment from truck owners, environmental groups and other interested parties. A revised version of the regulation will come out later this spring. For more information, log on to the Air Resources Board Web site at: arb.ca.gov/msprog/onrdiesel.

Staff reporter Howard Fine can be reached at [phone], ext. 227 or at [e-mail]