At the beginning of 2016, California State Assembly Bill 529 (Lowenthal 10/3/2013) went into effect. This legislation altered the previous “Biennial Inspection of Terminals” regulation in some significant ways. For one, it’s no longer strictly a “biennial” requirement (they conveniently renamed it the “Basic Inspection of Terminals” to keep the same acronym).

For more details about the changes to the program, check out this presentation on the CHP website or read the legislation text directly. A few of the key points to notice include:

• Inspections are no longer technically “Biennial.” CHP may inspect any terminal at any time it chooses. Terminals receiving “satisfactory” ratings may not be inspected again for up to six years. Meanwhile, a terminal that receives an “unsatisfactory” rating must be re-inspected by CHP within 120 days.
• Fees are now paid annually to the California DMV instead of CHP.
• Even if you lease your trucks, your organization is responsible for BIT inspections and record keeping (operators with short-term leases on their vehicles could rely on the vehicle owners for this in the past).

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