SACRAMENTO ---The California Air Resources Board said it has fined an Oxnard-based trucking firm $6,000 for diesel truck emission violations that occurred in 2006.

 An ARB fleet audit found that Hoskins Brothers Trucking Inc. had not been annually inspecting its heavy-duty diesel vehicles, as required by California law. Not performing the required smoke inspections can lead to increased cancer-causing diesel emissions, the board said.

"The particulate matter emitted by heavy-duty diesel trucks is very harmful to the public's health," said ARB Chairman Mary Nichols. "By inspecting their trucks, companies can directly impact the health of their community."

 As part of the settlement, Hoskins must comply with the following:

• Guarantee employees that are responsible for conducting the inspections attend a mandatory California community college training class on diesel emissions and provide certificates of completion within one year;

• Instruct employees and drivers on ARB's truck idling regulations;

• Ensure that trucks have the most recent Low-NOx software installed;

• Provide documentation to ARB that the inspections are being carried out for the next four years;

• Ensure that all diesel trucks are up to federal emissions standards for the vehicle model year and are properly labeled with the manufacturer’s factory engine certification label. 

The company will pay $6,000 in penalties: $4,500 will go to the California Air Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and research to improve California's air quality, $750 will go to Peralta Community College District to fund emission education classes conducted by participating California community colleges under the California Council for Diesel Education and Technology, and the remaining $750 will go to the California Pollution Control Financing Authority.

A decade ago, the ARB listed diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant in order to protect public health. Exposure to unsafe levels of diesel emissions can increase the risk of asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory diseases.