SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Cross-border reefer carriers sweating over costly new truck refrigeration unit rules in California have been given a short compliance reprieve.

Although Christmas time might get to be more expensive than usual for Cali-bound truckers, the California Air Resources Board has pushed back its deadline for the state’s strict new emissions rules for reefer units, from July 16, 2009 to December 31.

The state’s Low-Emission TRU In-Use Performance Standards — which the American Trucking Associations is challenging as being illegal — will require emission-control retrofits on all refrigerated trucks for engine model years 2001 and older as well as trailers and containers. All units that enter California are affected.

TRU registration and operator report requirements have only been delayed a few more weeks, however. Those are now due July 31.

Out-of-state motor carriers aren’t required to register by law, reportedly, but CARB is still urging them to do so.

CARB decided to move the deadline back because many TRU owners could not comply in time — some retrofit systems were not available in the marketplace until just a few weeks ago.

Also, the costs of compliance are much higher than previously expected. Estimates indicate that some specialty retrofits could cost up to $50,000 per trailer, meaning millions of dollars for medium-sized carriers.

"Given these factors, CARB has determined that a two-phase enforcement schedule would allow for more complete registration and provide some additional time for pre-2002 TRUs to come into compliance in an orderly manner," the agency said in a statement.

CARB said lead times for most retrofit technologies are typically a few months, so it is encouraging carriers to place orders by summer’s end to ensure compliance by Dec. 31.