SACRAMENTO, Ca. — As expected, California will become the strictest jurisdiction in North America for trucks to operate in.

The California Air Resources Board adopted two regulations aimed at cleaning up emissions from the estimated 1 million heavy-duty diesel trucks that operate in the Golden State.

Beginning January 1, 2011, the Statewide Truck and Bus rule will require truck owners to install diesel exhaust filters on their rigs, with nearly all vehicles upgraded by 2014. Owners must also replace engines older than the 2010 model year according to a staggered implementation schedule that extends from 2012 to 2022.

Also adopted, the Heavy Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction measure requires long-haul truckers to install EPA Smartway-certified fuel-efficient tires and aerodynamic devices on trailers to lower greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy.

CARB officials say that commercial trucks are the largest remaining source of unregulated diesel emissions, responsible for 32 percent of the smog-forming emissions and nearly 40 percent of the "cancer-causing emissions from diesel mobile sources."

The greenhouse gas reduction measure applies to more than 500,000 trailers, while the diesel regulation applies to about 400,000 heavy-duty vehicles that are registered in the state, and another 500,000 out-of-state vehicles that operate in California.

To help truck owners upgrade their vehicles, the state is offering more than $1 billion dollars in funding opportunities. To provide flexibility, the diesel regulation is structured so that owners can choose from among three compliance options to meet regulation requirements.