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If your truck is model year 2013 or newer with a GVWR over 14,000 pounds, California requires Clean Truck Check compliance testing. Miss your deadline and the DMV puts a registration hold on your vehicle. Keep ignoring it and you’re looking at fines up to $10,000 per truck, per day.
You didn’t buy a heavy-duty truck to deal with bureaucratic headaches. You bought it to work. But CARB’s HD I/M program isn’t optional, and the rules aren’t getting looser.
We handle the OBD testing your 2013+ diesel or alternative fuel truck needs to stay compliant. We submit your results directly to CARB, you get confirmation in your account, and your truck stays on the road. Testing can be done up to 90 days before your deadline, so you’re never scrambling at the last minute.
Most trucks need testing twice a year. Starting in 2027, it goes to four times annually. The sooner you build this into your maintenance routine, the less it disrupts your operation.
We’re a CARB-credentialed testing facility serving Westmont, CA and the surrounding Los Angeles area. We passed the state’s credentialed tester exam, we use CARB-approved OBD testing equipment, and we stay current on every regulatory update that affects your compliance deadlines.
Westmont sits right in the heart of LA County, where heavy-duty vehicle traffic is constant and enforcement is active. CARB uses roadside emissions monitoring devices to flag high-emitting trucks, and once you’re flagged, you have 30 days to submit a passing test. We’ve seen fleet operators get caught off guard, and it’s expensive.
We’re not here to upsell you on services you don’t need. If your truck is 2013 or newer and over 14,000 lbs GVWR, you need this test. If it’s not, we’ll tell you. That’s it.
You schedule your Clean Truck Check appointment and bring your truck to our Westmont facility. We connect a CARB-approved OBD testing device to your truck’s diagnostic port and run a full scan of the engine’s onboard diagnostics data.
The scan checks for emissions-related fault codes, monitors system readiness, and confirms your truck meets California’s heavy-duty emissions standards. If your truck passes, we submit the results directly to CARB’s system on your behalf. You’ll see the passing test reflected in your Clean Truck Check account, usually within a few hours.
If your truck doesn’t pass, we’ll explain what triggered the failure. Sometimes it’s a sensor issue, sometimes it’s a more significant emissions problem. Either way, you’ll know what needs fixing before you’re up against a compliance deadline.
The test itself takes about 30 minutes. You can wait on-site or drop the truck off if that works better for your schedule. Once we submit your passing result, you’re covered for the next compliance period—typically six months for most 2013+ trucks.
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This isn’t a standard smog check. Clean Truck Check is a CARB-mandated inspection program specifically for heavy-duty vehicles, and it requires specialized equipment and credentialed testers. You’re paying for compliance with California’s HD I/M regulation, which went into full effect in October 2024.
Here’s what’s included: a complete OBD scan using CARB-certified testing equipment, results submission directly to the state, and documentation that proves your truck met emissions standards on the test date. If you’re managing a fleet in Westmont or anywhere in LA County, this matters more than you might think. California has roughly one million heavy-duty trucks on the road, and while only 1% used to get inspected annually, CARB is ramping up enforcement fast.
The annual compliance fee is $31.18 per truck for 2025, and that’s separate from the testing fee. Most testing facilities in the area charge between $75 and $135 per truck, with mobile testing available at a premium if you’ve got a large fleet and want on-site service.
Westmont’s proximity to major freight corridors means your trucks are more likely to pass through CARB’s roadside monitoring zones. Get flagged once and you’re on their radar. Miss a compliance deadline and the DMV blocks your registration. It’s not worth the risk when the fix is this straightforward.
Yes. If your truck operates in California and meets the criteria—2013 or newer, over 14,000 lbs GVWR—you’re subject to Clean Truck Check requirements regardless of where it’s registered.
CARB’s regulation applies to any heavy-duty vehicle operating on California roads, not just California-registered trucks. That includes out-of-state fleets, privately owned trucks, and even government vehicles. The state doesn’t care where your plates are from. If you’re driving here, you’re complying here.
This catches a lot of operators off guard, especially those running interstate routes. You might only pass through California a few times a year, but if CARB’s roadside monitoring flags your truck for high emissions, you’ll get a Notice to Submit to Testing. At that point, you have 30 days to complete a passing Clean Truck Check, no matter where your truck is based.
Most 2013 and newer heavy-duty trucks need testing twice a year—that’s semi-annual compliance. Your specific deadline depends on your vehicle’s compliance schedule, which you can check in your Clean Truck Check account on CARB’s website.
Right now, the standard is every six months. But starting in October 2027, OBD-equipped trucks will need testing four times per year. That’s quarterly compliance, and it’s coming whether you’re ready or not.
You can submit a passing test up to 90 days before your deadline, which gives you some flexibility to plan around your maintenance schedule or busy seasons. If you wait until the last minute and something fails, you’re stuck. Get ahead of it and you’ve got time to address any issues before they become compliance problems.
If your truck fails, you’ll get a detailed report showing which emissions-related codes or system readiness monitors triggered the failure. From there, you need to get the issue repaired and retest before your compliance deadline.
A failed test doesn’t automatically mean a huge repair bill, but it does mean something in your emissions system isn’t working correctly. Sometimes it’s a faulty sensor. Sometimes it’s a DPF issue or an EGR valve problem. The OBD scan will point to the specific system that’s out of spec.
Once you’ve made the repair, you come back for a retest. If it passes, we submit the results to CARB and you’re compliant. If you’re up against a deadline and can’t get the repair done in time, you risk a registration hold and potential penalties. The key is not waiting until the last second to find out your truck has a problem.
No. Clean Truck Check only applies to trucks that are model year 2013 or newer with a gross vehicle weight rating over 14,000 pounds. If your truck doesn’t meet both of those criteria, this program doesn’t apply to you.
Older heavy-duty trucks—2012 and earlier—aren’t subject to OBD-based Clean Truck Check testing. They may still need periodic smoke opacity testing depending on the model year and engine type, but that’s a different inspection process. Lighter trucks under 14,000 lbs GVWR fall under standard smog check requirements, not the HD I/M program.
This is one of the most common points of confusion. If you’re not sure whether your truck qualifies, check the model year and GVWR on your registration. Both have to meet the threshold. If you’re running a mixed fleet with some older or lighter trucks, only the 2013+ heavy-duty units need Clean Truck Check compliance.
The California DMV will place a registration hold on your vehicle, which means you can’t renew your registration until you submit a passing test. If you continue operating without compliance, you’re looking at fines up to $10,000 per vehicle, per day.
That’s not a scare tactic. That’s the actual penalty structure under CARB’s regulation. The state is serious about reducing emissions from heavy-duty trucks, and they’ve built enforcement mechanisms that hit hard. A registration hold is immediate and non-negotiable. You can’t just pay a fee and skip the test.
If you get a Notice to Submit to Testing after being flagged by roadside monitoring, your deadline is 30 days from the notice date. Miss that and the consequences start piling up fast. For fleet operators in Westmont managing multiple trucks, one missed deadline can cascade into a serious financial and operational problem. It’s not worth gambling on.
No. Once we submit your passing Clean Truck Check results to CARB, they’re automatically recorded in the state’s system. You can log into your Clean Truck Check account to verify the test was received and view your next compliance deadline.
You don’t need to file paperwork with the DMV or send anything to CARB yourself. The credentialed tester—that’s us—handles the submission directly through CARB’s approved testing platform. The results show up in your account within a few hours, and your compliance status updates accordingly.
Keep a record of your test confirmation for your own files, especially if you’re managing a fleet. It’s useful to have documentation showing when each truck was tested and when the next deadline is coming up. But as far as the state is concerned, once the test is submitted and passing, you’re done until the next compliance period.
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