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A Trend
We recently worked our way through beautiful California from November 3-December 14. I filled up a Love’s in Roseburg, Oregon and 1400 miles later I left the state at Blythe. I almost made it all the way without buying any expensive California diesel, but I thought I was going to have to run the generator one week near the end of the tour, so I put about 70 gallons in. (Of course, I was nowhere near a Love’s at the time)
A church that I preach in there has several school buses for their large Christian school and a 95 Dina tour bus with a Series 60. California is tightening the screws on them about the Dina and has limited its use to 1000 miles per year. They would normally drive it many miles up and down the state.
They do a nationwide tour each year with their choir in the Dina that consists of several thousand miles. They drove the Dina less than 1000 miles in the state of California, but many more outside of the state.
During their yearly inspection, they were told they violated the 1000 mile limit. They told the inspector they had receipts and logbook to prove less than 1000 of those miles were in the state. The inspector (who may not speak for the state) said, Our state laws govern you nationwide. Do not do it again or you will be fined.
Ouch! I suppose that the inspector and many others may believe that and it may be the way the law reads, I do not know. However, people of that opinion may eventually believe they have the right to tell me what motor can be in my bus too.
I understand this is commercial and not directly related to us, but I still hate to see it. They have tried to take care of this old bus so that it can keep them on the road, but now they have to spend a huge chunk of money to buy a bus that will comply for at least a few years to come. I hate to see any entity control our own choice of whether or not to spend money like that.
They are allowed to sell the bus out of state or to an individual that would convert it to a motor home, but there is not much market for a Dina conversion.
I do not intend this as political at all. I do not view this as one party over another party. I view this as a trend that is sweeping or at least seeping across America. We should be able to spend or keep our own money as we see fit. Does that make sense?
Davy
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16 Replies
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This is chilling Davy. It is not political in the sense it is a discussion of laws or regulations that may at some point impact us.
As all of us know we drive buses that if not now, at some point may be non-compliant as laws are drafted to tighten emissions standards. We do not wear our buses out and then buy new ones with full recent compliance. A lot of our members are driving their 8V92 powered coaches and presently my be legal, but with the passage of tighter regulations, may all of a sudden become illegal.
Thanks for the heads up. I hope our California members can keep us informed about current and proposed standards and regulations that may impact us. We may have options if we know about changes to the law well in advance, but trying to deal with laws late in the game may have only expensive options available.
MEMBERS: DO NOT TRASH CALIFORNIA. IT THERE IS DISCUSSION PLEASE LIMIT IT TO BE WARNING OF POSSIBLE LAW CHANGES OR CURRENT LAWS THAT AFFECT US.
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That’s pretty sad Davie, I’ll leave it at that and not say what I would like.
Maybe Bernie will jump in here, I know there is some crazy stuff in CA that’s a disaster for trucking big time.
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Well you beat me to it Truk. A1 the last paragraph does not refer to me, I live here. The problem is it is political.
Davy I know your a man of God so I’ll try and remember my upbringing.
The left out here has pushed the business climate out here to you either go broke complying or break their bullshit laws to survive.
It is untenable. I can list new laws that will trickle to other states but my associates biggest new fight is DB5. The dispute over who is contract labor which would break many companies due to FICA, Workers Comp and all the happy other horseshit.
CA is helping to repel the Glider Kit laws to 2010 drive train.
It is an absolute abomination. I erased the last part of the sentence due to a public forum.
Later
bv
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Housing, size and availability for average person are disappearing.
Wildfires and power outages create huge hardships on everyday working people.
Fuel cost 25 to 40% higher than neighboring states should prove there is a problem for average Billy Bob trying to exist .
The high tech and movie personalities have an insulation to the cost factors.
Regulations and inspection of trucks are causing independents to refuse to drive California. Inspectors writing extreme high tickets for minor mechanical deficiencies.
I hope they don’t turn to attacking the RV’ers coming through their state. It is said many see a Prevost as deep pockets.
I am not deep pocket just a guy who has worked endless for 71 years and now putting the cookie jar on the road to enjoy some benefits of hard work. Not wanting to pay a bureaurcrat for trump charges (not President HAHA)
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I’m far from politically correct – so best if no comment apparently. If I remember correctly CA outlawed non-DPF equipped trucks as of Dec 2014. So basically 2007ish and older became illegal to run in CA. Of course all the intra-state CA plated ag-haulers were exempt. So any old smoke belching rig was fine as long as it was tagged for CA agriculture. Go figure. I did acquire a pretty nice 379 for a fire sale price in 2015. Got caught in April and should have been gone 4 months prior.
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They must be phasing out the non-DEF pickups for business. A mobile mechanic in northern California told me that his pickup based service truck is good until this January. I think it was an early 2000 model.
Davy
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There seems to be something wrong with laws or regulations that make the use of vehicles that were totally compliant at the time of manufacture to be legislated out of existence.
The average owner on this forum might take 50 years or more to wear out his coach, and we all know if it is well maintained it provides living accommodations and service as nice as much newer coaches, and yet it seems possible based on what is posted here for some regulatory agency or legislator to enact a rule or law that makes that older coach illegal.
I hope groups like FMCA and Good Sam’s are working hard to lobby against this.
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Exactly Jon. As if it isnt enough to control things by regulating manufacturing. Why not let products run their useful service life once they are made. Shameful.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
Remember Cash for Clunkers?
Many of us never, ever dreamed that would happen.
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Apples and oranges Dick.
Nothing made those clunkers illegal to own or drive. If you had a clunker and you liked it you could still be using it today.
But when your bus doesn’t meet some new regulation and has to be removed from service on a certain date you just lost the cash portion of that program.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
Jon,
Are you suggesting that some of our coaches are in fact clunkers?
2000 Featherlite H3-45
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Leesburg, FL -
Dick,
Mentioning that program offers some contrast as to how things have evolved. If memory serves me that was an incentive program and was completely voluntary. That nudge has turned to bulldozing.
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Does the fact that our coaches are built as a commercial vehicle then converted to a motorhome put us closer to the chopping block?
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Our coaches are private vehicles. It’s commercial use is where the issue is. Having said that, one of our Colorado house state legislatures is trying to bar vintage vehicles, claiming air quality issues.
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The Colorado proposal is another “feel good” deal that isn’t material in the long run. But I would expect that way of thinking to move from state to state.
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