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Trucks Inspected For Violations At Port Of Oakland

OAKLAND (KCBS) – The California Air Resources Board and the California Highway Patrol were both inspecting trucks at the Port of Oakland on Wednesday, as part of a month-long campaign to ensure compliance with California's air pollution laws.

CHP officers are making sure truck drivers have the correct license, along with valid registration. The state's Air Resources Board is making sure truckers are complying with state air pollution laws.

KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:

"If we see what looks to be the right model year range, we'll pull those over. If we see black smoke, we'll pull those over. If they just look like an older truck, we'll pull those over," said Beth White with the California Air Resources Board. "Some of it's random but some of it isn't."

White said that 70 percent of the cancer risk from air pollution comes from diesel exhaust.

Non-compliance tickets range from $300-1,800. For the most egregious offenders, tickets can cost even more.

"Some people roll the dice as far as whether they'll get caught or not," said White. "But the amount of money you would spend on a filter is certainly a lot less than you could experience otherwise if you got a citation."

So far, about 4,000 trucks have been checked statewide at similar checkpoints. About 1,000 citations have been issued.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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