P.O.
Box 437 - 380 Scotch Road
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0437
Phone: (609) 530-4035
Fax: (609) 530-5342
Welcome
to the homepage for the Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicle
Inspection Program (HDDVIP). The HDDVIP regulates
emissions from heavy-duty diesel powered motor vehicles
(HDDVs) with a manufacturers gross vehicle weight
rating (GVWR) of 18,000 pounds or more. The GVWR may be
different from the vehicles' registered weight.
All diesel-powered trucks, commercial buses and
school buses including private and government vehicles
are subject to regulation. Emergency vehicles such
as ambulances and fire trucks are exempted.
While
New Jersey's diesel smoke reduction program has
been in full force since 1998, other states have
also enacted diesel opacity inspection programs.
These include California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New York, and the province of Ontario.
Several other states will be bringing programs on
line soon.
Please
scroll down or
PROGRAM
FORMAT
The
HDDVIP is jointly administered by the NJ Division
of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the NJ State Police (NJSP),
and NJDEP. All HDDVs are required to undergo an
emissions test for smoke opacity
within 90 days of their annual registration. Inspections
are performed at a licensed Diesel Emissions Inspection
Center (DEIC)
under our Periodic
Inspection Program. They are also subject to
random roadside inspections, which includes out
of state vehicles as well. The Roadside
Enforcement Program fields ten teams of DMV
inspectors and State Police that surveil locations
all across New Jersey. Smoking
vehicles, and excessive idling
of diesel engines, are other elements of the HDDVIP
which are controlled by state law.
All
HDDVs, New Jersey registered or out of state, are
subject to random roadside inspections. Ten teams
of DVM inspectors and State Police monitor a network
of inspection sites that cover the entire state.
The inspection sites are selected to provide maximum
safety for the motoring public, the truck drivers,
and the inspection team. The roadside inspection
utilizes the snap-acceleration test, one of three
test
methods adopted by NJDEP. Penalties,
in the form of fines, are issued for exceeding the
emission
standards , and for failing to have the annual
inspection performed.
For
more information on the roadside enforcement program,
click here:
As
stated above, all diesel-powered vehicles 18,000
pounds or more GVWR must undergo an annual emissions
inspection within 90 days of initial or renewed
registration. The inspection, which utilizes one
of the three test
methods adopted by NJDEP, must be performed
at a DMV licensed Diesel Emissions Inspection Center
(DEIC). A network of almost 300 DEICs has been developed
across the state, in all 21 counties. So, chances
are there is a convenient location for you to have
your HDDV inspected.
A
DEIC may not be a repair facility. If your vehicle
needs repairs or maintenance, check with your local
DEIC to see if they provide the services you need.
DEICs
are licensed by NJDMV. To apply for a DEIC license,
to obtain forms, stickers, or for more information
about the DEIC program, contact NJDMV at 609-292-5330.
DEICs
must use testing equipment approved by NJDEP.
Vehicle
inspection reports must be submitted to NJDEP. This
is in addition to the test report printed out by
the opacimeter, and must be filled out for each
vehicle inspected. Currently there are two reporting
options available:
Option
1 - Scannable Paper Forms (DEIC-001C):
Also
known as "bubble forms" the inspection
data is recorded by filling in "bubbles"
on a pre-printed form. The forms must be kept clean
and flat. They must not be bent, folded, torn or
ripped. They must not have any tape, staples, grease
marks, fingerprints, punch holes, or any other marks
that will interfere with the scanning process. The
forms are provided free of charge by NJDMV, and
are picked up and returned to NJDEP.
The
ERP is a system that allows filling out individual
vehicle inspection reports electronically, in an
Excel97 spreadsheet, and filing a consolidated master
report quarterly, via e-mail. DEICs that have repeat
customers, customer lists, or fleet inventory lists
in almost any electronic file format, can cut, copy,
paste or import that data into the NJDEP electronic
reporting form. The electronic form only replaces
the scannable paper form. All other records required
by NJDMV must be maintained.
The
ERP is provided free of charge. Participation may
be terminated for failure to submit timely reports,
or for submitting incomplete reports. Registration
requires a signed agreement form, which is countersigned
by the ERP manager.
Test methodologies adopted by the Department of
Environmental Protection include the snap-acceleration
test, rolling-acceleration
test, and stall
test for determination of exhaust smoke opacity
from heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs). In a roadside
environment the snap acceleration test is utilized.
Periodic inspection of HDDVs may utilize either
of the snap-acceleration, rolling-acceleration or
the stall tests.
This
test, which is to be performed in accordance with
the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) recommended
practice J1667, is designed for use on a stationary
vehicle, equipped with an engine speed governor,
which is not under load. The peak smoke opacity
is measured while the vehicle's accelerator control
is positioned at its forward-most or downward-most
position or when the primary engine power control
engine is delivering the maximum potential power
and fuel. This condition is known as "wide
open throttle" for diesel-powered vehicles.
The vehicle engine is then accelerated from idle
speed to the maximum governed revolutions per minute
(RPM), that is, the maximum engine speed achievable
on a vehicle with speed control limitations.
Rolling
acceleration test:
The
rolling acceleration test is a relatively short,
on-road transient test cycle, which simulates the
normal operation of a heavy-duty diesel engine.
The rolling acceleration test entails operating
the vehicle at wide open throttle while it is loaded
under its own inertia in low gear from slightly
above idle speed to the maximum governed RPM. Alternatively,
for a non-governed engine or a non-low speed engine,
the vehicle is operated at wide open throttle under
its own inertia in low gear from slightly above
idle speed to approximately 85 percent of maximum
engine speed or 12 mph, whichever occurs first.
This test mode is very similar to a mode that occurs
during the first segment of the EPA certification
smoke cycle for heavy-duty diesel engines (40 CFR
§86.884-7). The peak smoke opacity is measured
during this operation.
Stall
test:
The
stall test is to be performed only on vehicles equipped
with an automatic transmission. The vehicle's brakes
and wheel chocks are used to keep it stationary
throughout the test. The engine is accelerated under
full power in drive gear from idle until the engine
speed stabilizes against the transmission load.
This final, steady, engine speed is maintained for
one to three seconds. The stall test creates a transient
loaded mode for obtaining peak smoke opacity.
Smoke
opacity is a measurement of light extinction, or
the blackness of the exhaust plume, expressed as
a percentage. 100% opacity would be completely dark,
and 0% would be totally transparent. The black smoke
we see in diesel exhaust is composed primarily of
carbon particles resulting from the combustion of
diesel fuel.
The
opacity limit is measured at the peak, or darkest
point, of the exhaust cloud. This measurement is
most commonly taken during the snap acceleration
test, where the vehicle is at idle, with all brakes
off, and the throttle is "punched" to
the floorboard, initiating the exhaust cloud. Opacity
is measured as a surrogate for particulate matter.
The
table below illustrates the approximate opacity
of our current emission
standards.
Opacimeters
use a laser beam directed at a photo-receptor cell,
to measure the exhaust smoke plume. The laser
is either directed through the plume itself, or
a sample, or "plug" of smoke is directed
into a chamber through which the laser beam passes.
As noted above, the degree to which the beam is
obscured from the receptor cell is translated into
a percentage, where a value of 100% means that the
light is completely blanked out.
EQUIPMENT
MANUFACTURERS: The requirements for approval may
be found here. [D:\PROJECTS\DIESEL\smkmeter\approval\!ApprovalCkList]
Please note that third party certification with
Department standards is required.
HDDVs
are subject to opacity standards based on the production
year of the vehicles' engine. The standards were
devised to take into account the state of engine
technology, and typical wear conditions. The HDDVIP
opacity standards are:
Heavy-duty
trucks - 18,000 pounds or more
1973
and older
70%
1974
or 1990
55%
1991
and newer
40%
No
visible blue smoke >3 consecutive
seconds
Commercial
& School Buses - 18,000 pounds or
more
1987
and older
40%
1988
and newer
30%
Retrofitted
buses
(rebuilt engines with a low emissions
kit)
Violations
are placed upon owner or lessee, not
the operator.
The fine for a first offense is $700, reducible
to $150, with proof of repair.
For second and subsequent offenses the fine is $1300,
reducible to $500 with proof of repair.
Failure to comply with the annual inspection requirement
carries a fine of $500.
Excessive black smoke is frequently caused by an
overly rich fuel mixture that doesn't combust completely,
creating soot. It may also be caused by clogged
air or fuel filters; clogged or worn fuel injectors;
lack of maintenance; or other engine defects, indicating
the need for repairs.
Besides
excessive smoke, HDDVs are also subject to an idling
standard. While there are several exemptions to
the rule, under most common circumstances, HDDV
engines are not allowed to idle for more than three
minutes.
Some
typically exempted activities are:
Warming
up, at the vehicles' place of business (30 minutes
allowed)
If
the engine powers the heat or A/C, while the driver
is using the sleeper berth during a required rest
period.
While
undergoing repairs
Typically
regulated activities are:
Idling
at stops during a delivery run
Idling
during layovers
While
waiting to pick up passengers, after dropping
them off at events or activities such as the theater
or an amusement park.
Waiting
at schools to pick up or drop off students.
The
idling rule is found at N.J.A.C. 7:27-14 .3, "General
Prohibitions".
Idling
does more than create unnecessary emissions, it
wastes fuel too - typically one gallon per hour,
or more. For maintenance and fuel saving tips, check
out "Smoke
Awareness for Truckers".
A
recently released final report by the USEPA listed
diesel exhaust as a probable cause of lung cancer.
It is also associated with increase risk of asthma
and other breathing related illnesses. Both USEPA
and the California Air Resources Board have declared
diesel exhaust a toxic substance.
Diesel
soot particles, and the chemicals that adhere to
them (such as benzene) are the cause of the problem.
Sulfur in the fuel helps to form soot particles.
Too much fuel causes the large black particles we
can see. The large particles, called PM10 (particulate
matter, over 10 microns in diameter), once ingested,
can be mostly expelled from the body, when caught
by your natural air filtration system. Small particles,
called PM2.5 (2.5 microns or less in diameter),
can become trapped in the body, and cannot be expelled.
In general, particulates cause breathing problems,
and the associated chemicals may cause other physiologic
illnesses. Diesel engines also produce nitrogen
oxides, which help to form ozone, which is also
a contributing cause of breathing illnesses.
The
risk of health effects include: increased incidence
of asthma, bronchitis, and other breathing related
illnesses, increased emergency room visits, and
increased mortality. Risk increases with increased
exposure to diesel exhaust.
For
more information on diesel exhaust and health issues,
follow these links:
The
NTE rule, so named because of the new emission standards
coupled with the "Not To Exceed" test
limits devised by USEPA, refers to emission limits
set for worst case, in-use situations. Engines will
be evaluated in chassis, and will be allowed a limit
of 1.25 times the federal engine standard, underneath
an "umbrella" created by the torque and
horsepower curve specific to that engine. The 1.25
allowance is sufficient to account for practically
any in-use situation, and virtually any certified
engine set to the manufacturers original specifications,
and in well maintained condition, will be able to
meet this emission limit.
The
Federal NTE standards are set to go into effect
in 2007. In 1998, several major engine manufacturers
entered in a consent decree with USPEA. Because
they had installed "defeat devices", which
allowed the engines to emit emissions in excess
of the standards allowed by USEPA, the manufacturers
agreed to produce engines that complied with the
stricter NTE emissions standards sooner than other
manufacturers need to. These engines of these manufacturers
will begin showing up in new vehicles in January
2003.
New
Jersey, along with several other states, has adopted
the California NTE rule because the consent decree
expires at the end of 2004, and the Federal rule
will not take effect until 2007. This created a
regulatory gap, or window, for engine model years
2005 and 2006. By adopting the NTE rule NJDEP requires
that only NTE compliant engines be sold, leased,
rented, imported, delivered, purchased, acquired,
received or otherwise transferred in this State,
or offered for sale, lease, or rental, beginning
with the 2005 engine model year.
Established
by Public Law 1995, Chapter 157, the rules that
govern the HDDVIP are:
NJ
Department of Environmental Protection:
N.J.A.C.
7:27-14 - Control and Prohibition of Air Pollution
from diesel-fueled Motor Vehicles
(The idling rule is found at paragraph 14.3, "General
Prohibitions".) N.J.A.C. 7:27B-4 - Air Test
Method 4: Testing procedures for Motor Vehicles
N.J.A.C. 7:27-26.8 -16 - Heavy-Duty Diesel New Engine
Requirements Program (NTE)