SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Air Resources Board has confirmed that Mack Trucks Inc., Cummins Inc., and Volvo Trucks North America have received certification that their heavy-duty engines meet California’s nitrogen oxide emission standards, providing users an exemption from the state’s five-minute idling regulation, according to www.ttnews.com. The open-ended waiver will not last more than a few years.

Mack said on April 30 that its MP7 and MP8 engines have been certified and its new 16L MP10 would meet the requirements when it goes into production later this year.

The rule, posted on CARB’s Web site, states that 2008 and newer engines must “be equipped with a nonprogrammable engine shutdown system that automatically shuts down the engine after five minutes of idling or optionally meet a stringent oxides of nitrogen idling emission standard.”

Trucks with these engines are issued a special decal that denotes the exemption.

The fine for first-time violators has been raised to $300 a day from $100, with a maximum of a $1,000 per day fine.

Caterpillar Inc. and Detroit Diesel Corp., two other major engine manufacturers in North America, said that their 2008 engines meet only the automatic shut-down rule currently, but both plan on submitting engines for low NOx certification this summer, according to www.ttnews.com.

Navistar Inc. and Paccar Inc., which both plan to begin manufacturing heavy-duty engines over the next two years, said they would not submit any engines to CARB until they go into production.