Hear from Our Customers
Your trucks stay registered. Your drivers stay on schedule. Your business keeps moving.
That’s what CARB diesel compliance actually does for you. It’s not just a regulatory checkbox—it’s the difference between operating freely and watching your equipment sit idle while the DMV blocks your registration renewal.
Starting in 2025, every heavy-duty truck with a 2013 or newer diesel engine needs semi-annual emissions testing. Miss a deadline, and you’re looking at registration holds that ground your truck until you fix it. Ignore a Notice to Submit to Testing, and you’ve got 30 days before penalties start stacking—$1,000 to $75,000 per day depending on the violation.
You’re not just avoiding fines. You’re protecting cash flow, maintaining your operating authority, and keeping commitments to your customers. That’s what compliance really buys you.
We focus exclusively on CARB compliance for heavy-duty commercial vehicles—specifically 2013 and newer model year trucks over 14,000 pounds GVWR. That’s it.
We’re not trying to be everything to everyone. We’re CARB credentialed testers serving the Nuevo and Riverside County corridor, right where I-215 and State Route 79 meet—one of California’s busiest freight routes.
If you’re running semi trucks through Southern California, you know this area. We’re here because you are. And we know the testing requirements that apply to your equipment because we only work with operators like you.
You bring your 2013+ heavy-duty truck to our facility in Nuevo, CA. We connect CARB-certified OBD testing equipment to your vehicle’s diagnostic system and run a complete scan of your engine’s emissions data.
The test checks whether your emissions control systems are functioning properly. If everything passes, we submit the results electronically to CARB’s database—usually the same day. You get documentation, CARB gets notified, and your compliance deadline is satisfied.
If something fails, you’ll know exactly what needs repair before you can retest. The good news: you can submit a passing test up to 90 days before your deadline, giving you time to address issues without the pressure of an immediate compliance gap.
The whole process typically takes under an hour if your truck passes. No appointments stretched across multiple days. No wondering if your results made it to the state. You leave with proof of compliance and your truck stays legal.
Ready to get started?
This is OBD emissions testing for heavy-duty trucks—2013 and newer diesel engines, 2018 and newer alternative fuel engines—with a gross vehicle weight rating over 14,000 pounds. That’s the scope.
Right now in 2025, you need testing twice a year. By October 2027, that requirement jumps to quarterly—four times annually. The compliance fee for 2025 is $31.18 per vehicle. Testing must be performed by a credentialed tester, and results get reported directly into CARB’s CTC-VIS system.
Nuevo sits in the heart of Riverside County’s logistics corridor, where thousands of heavy-duty trucks move freight daily between Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and points south. California’s Local Freight Trucking industry is worth $17.7 billion, and over 52,000 businesses operate in this space statewide. The regulations aren’t going anywhere—they’re getting stricter.
If you operate in California or pass through regularly, this testing isn’t optional. It’s the cost of doing business here, and the penalties for skipping it are severe enough to shut you down.
Any heavy-duty truck with a gross vehicle weight rating over 14,000 pounds and a 2013 or newer diesel engine needs CARB emissions testing. If you’re running alternative fuel engines, the requirement starts with 2018 and newer models.
This applies to semi trucks, heavy-duty pickups used commercially, construction equipment, buses, and any other vehicle over that weight threshold operating in California. Out-of-state trucks that regularly enter California are also subject to these rules.
The testing requirement went into effect October 1, 2024, with compliance deadlines beginning January 1, 2025. If your truck falls into this category and you’re operating in California, you’re required to test twice a year right now—and that increases to four times a year starting in October 2027.
The DMV will block your registration renewal. Your truck can’t legally operate until you submit a passing CARB emissions test and restore compliance.
If CARB flags your vehicle and sends you a Notice to Submit to Testing, you have 30 calendar days to get tested and submit passing results. Miss that window, and you’re looking at penalties starting at $1,000 per violation and climbing as high as $75,000 per day depending on severity and repeat offenses.
You also risk roadside enforcement action. CARB has the authority to pull over vehicles flagged as potential high emitters, and if you’re not compliant, that truck isn’t going anywhere until the issue is resolved. For owner-operators and small fleets, that kind of downtime can kill your cash flow fast.
If your truck passes, you’re usually looking at under an hour. We connect the OBD testing equipment, run the emissions scan, review the data, and submit results to CARB electronically.
The actual diagnostic scan doesn’t take long—it’s the administrative side and making sure everything uploads correctly to the state database that adds a few minutes. You’ll leave with documentation showing your truck passed and your compliance deadline is satisfied.
If your truck fails, the timeline changes. You’ll need to get the flagged issue repaired and then come back for a retest. That’s why it’s smart to test early—you can submit a passing result up to 90 days before your deadline, giving you a buffer if repairs are needed.
Testing must be performed by a CARB credentialed tester using CARB-certified OBD testing equipment. You can’t just plug in a generic code reader and call it compliant.
CARB maintains a list of credentialed testers who’ve completed the state’s online training course and passed the required exam. Only those testers can legally perform emissions compliance testing and submit results to the CTC-VIS database.
Some mobile testing services will come to your yard, which can be convenient for larger fleets. But whether you go to a facility or have someone come to you, make sure they’re actually credentialed. If the test isn’t done by an approved tester with certified equipment, it won’t count—and you’ll still be out of compliance when your deadline hits.
Regular smog checks for passenger vehicles use tailpipe emissions testing and visual inspections. CARB compliance testing for heavy-duty trucks over 14,000 pounds GVWR uses onboard diagnostics—it’s a completely different process.
We’re scanning your truck’s OBD system to check whether emissions control components are functioning properly. The test pulls data directly from your engine’s computer, looking at things like diesel particulate filters, NOx sensors, and other emissions equipment required on 2013+ engines.
This isn’t something you can do at a standard smog shop that tests cars and light trucks. The equipment is different, the training is different, and the reporting goes into a separate state database. That’s why CARB created the credentialed tester program specifically for heavy-duty vehicle compliance.
Testing costs vary by provider, but you’re also paying a compliance fee directly to CARB—$31.18 per vehicle for 2025. That fee is separate from whatever the testing facility charges for the actual service.
The testing fee itself depends on where you go and whether you’re using a mobile service or bringing your truck to a facility. Most credentialed testers in the Nuevo and Riverside County area charge a flat rate per test, and some offer fleet discounts if you’re running multiple trucks.
What you really need to factor in is the cost of not testing. A single day of penalties can run $1,000 or more, and a DMV registration hold means your truck isn’t generating revenue until you fix the problem. The testing fee is cheap compared to what non-compliance will cost you.
Local Resources
Useful Links
Other Services we provide in Nuevo
