Diesel trucks are a significant contributor to air pollution in California, where residents breathe some of the unhealthiest air in the country.  Trucks and buses are responsible for 40 percent of the toxic particulate matter (PM) released into California’s air every year from diesel engines. They emit a whopping 30 percent of all the smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx), a key ingredient in smog formation.  In addition, diesel trucks and buses are responsible for 20 percent of global warming pollution from the transportation sector in California, the largest source of climate change emissions in the state.
 
Tackling the pollution from thousands of diesel trucks is no easy task, but California is charging ahead with new rules to reduce smog forming nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and global warming pollution from one of the biggest polluters in the state.   

What’s New

California Truck Pollution and Public Health
Learn about the health and economic impacts of trucking in California and the state's proposals to reduce pollution and protect the public.

Heavy-Duty Trucks and Global Warming (PDF)
Fact sheet: Greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty trucks and California's proposed new regulalations to reduce global warming pollution from big rigs.

Reducing Global Warming Pollution: Technology Options for Tractor-Trailers
Read about the technologies available today to help reduce global warming pollution from diesel trucks and buses. 

Resources

Learn more about the health impacts from diesel pollution.  Read UCS’s Sick of Soot report on the impact of diesel pollution in California and an analysis of construction equipment pollution in Digging Up Trouble.

Learn more about California’s plan to reduce cancer risk from diesel pollution and California’s clean diesel incentive programs.