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California environmental regulators have approved a slate of amendments to fine-tune the state’s transport refrigerated unit rule, but denied a request by industry stakeholders to push back compliance deadlines by extending the useful life of the units from seven to nine years.

While all fleet managers are waging a battle with soaring diesel prices, refrigerated carriers are facing a second front in terms of collecting fuel surcharges to cover the cost of buying the red-dyed diesel that powers the engines of their reefer units.

California environmental regulators have pledged to cut truckers some slack early next year while enforcing the state’s amended transport refrigeration unit rule that will require all refrigerated trucks and trailers be equipped with low emission TRU retrofits or engines on their 2003 trucks and trailers by Dec. 31.