Clean Truck Check: what truck and fleet owners need to know
A plain-English guide from a CARB-credentialed tester in the Central Valley.
Clean Truck Check: what it is and why it can’t wait
Clean Truck Check is California’s emissions testing program for heavy-duty vehicles, run by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). It’s not optional, and the testing schedule is getting stricter. Here’s what you need to know.
Who has to comply
Almost every diesel and alternative-fuel vehicle over 14,000 lbs gross vehicle weight rating that drives on California roads. That includes:
Trucks and tractors, including single-truck owner-operators
Buses, shuttles and motorcoaches
Public agency vehicles
Out-of-state trucks operating in California
California-registered motorhomes
How often you need to test
Most trucks and buses
Twice a year
2013 and newer diesel engines (OBD)
Four times a year
Starting October 1, 2027
Motorhomes and agricultural vehicles
Once a year
For California-registered vehicles, one deadline lines up with your DMV registration expiration date, and the next falls six months later. Out-of-state vehicles follow a schedule based on the last digit of the VIN.
What owners have to do
Report each vehicle in CARB’s online system (CTC-VIS).
Pay the annual compliance fee — about $30 per vehicle, adjusted yearly.
Pass a test by a CARB-credentialed tester before each deadline. (This is the part we handle.)
Missing a deadline costs more than a test
DMV registration hold
CARB sends DMV a list of compliant vehicles every night. Fall out of compliance and your registration can be held.
Roadside checks
CHP and CARB inspect trucks at border crossings, ports, railyards and across the state. Noncompliant trucks can be turned away at ports and railyards.
Roadside emissions monitors
Sensors and plate readers flag high-emitting trucks. A flagged truck gets a notice and 30 days to pass a test.
Fines
Ignoring that notice can bring civil penalties of $1,000 to $10,000 per day, per vehicle.
For fleets, testing is about to double
Starting October 2027, newer trucks go from two tests a year to four. A 10-truck fleet goes from 20 tests a year to 40. Every trip to a testing station is a truck off the road. With mobile testing, Danny tests your whole fleet at your yard in one visit, so your trucks keep working.
Based on CARB’s Clean Truck Check FAQ. Rules can change, so check ww2.arb.ca.gov for the latest. Cen-Cal Truck Testing is an independent credentialed tester, not part of CARB.
Have a deadline coming up?
Call or request a test and Danny will come to your yard, job site or driveway.
© 2026 Cen-Cal Truck Testing LLC, Dinuba, California
Clean Truck Check is a California Air Resources Board program. Cen-Cal Truck Testing is an independent credentialed tester.