ALEXANDRIA, VA – TRALA has submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to its announcement of a proposal to mandate on-board diagnostic systems (OBDs) to detect potential problems in the emission control systems of 2010 heavy-duty engines. In its comments, TRALA expressed several concerns with the OBD rule as currently proposed by the government. Among these concerns were:

1. The need for a unified national standard for OBD programs.
   

2. The prevention of liability for owners of rented and leased trucks if a customer’s driver fails to respond to an alert of a potential malfunction.
   

3. The need to better identify the nature of a potential malfunction if the driver is alerted while on the road.
   

4. The feasibility and timing of developing sensors needed to monitor for potential malfunctions.
   

5. The need to consider an alternative approach that utilizes information gained through periodic maintenance to detect potential malfunctions.

TRALA supports the inclusion of on-board diagnostic systems to monitor the functioning of emission control systems. However, the association encourages the EPA to consider a rule that is more aligned with the industry’s existing high maintenance standards practiced at regular and frequent intervals.