Could you sacrifice your automotive way of life
Engaged Media LLC
'Jul 01, 2020 04:02
A couple of years ago, Adam wrote a column on the Act to Recognize Motorsports Protection (RPM). He gives the full explanation of the act by SEMA here. Quickly, the RPM Act would "protect the right of Americans to change street vehicles into dedicated race cars, and the right of industry to sell parts that allow racers to compete." With so many conflicting local, state, and federal laws attempting to control what we're doing to our vehicles out there, the passing of the RPM Act is vital to preserving our motorway of life.
Today, several federal laws say no emissions modifications are legal. No matter what your local laws are, if you modify the emissions equipment on your vehicle, you violate federal law. Even if you are making improvements, federal legislation says you 're wrong. Today, there are exemption orders (EO) that you can get as a producer but, depending on how you view the rules, these orders can also be interpreted as unconstitutional, even though the federal government is handing them out.
Currently, there are also federal laws which state that "closed-course
racing vehicles" are excluded from the said emission modification legislation. So, if you want to build a purpose-built race vehicle out of what once was a street-driven vehicle, you're in the clear, as long as it never sees the street again without returning it to its former state. It is how even the most stringent entity, the California Air Resource Board (CARB), has based its campaigns for years.
One more law exists that negates the closed-course racing vehicle law. It states that no vehicle intended for the street may ever have its emissions modified. So, all of our sled pullers, drag trucks, mud trucks, and so on are illegal. If you race a 1994 Bronco with a Coyote engine in it in the Baja 1000, it's legally illegal to carry it back to the US after the race (even on a trailer).
All of these laws designed to render race vehicles illegal. There is yet another law that states that it is illegal to modify a motor vehicle that alters its performance. That covers every modification. But once a verdict sets a precedent, different future interpretations could be opened up to things. Artificially, consider that this emissions device and then starts for off-course use with tuning and vehicle modifications. Then lose things like lift kits and aftermarket bumpers. After that, they lose LED headlights, exhaust kits, wheels, and larger brake kits. Very soon, bumper stickers become illegal because they affect aerodynamics. Sure, some of it - bumper stickers may seem particularly irrational, but how is life now. There is no idea what will happen to change society in the future. Where will it end?
Us diesel people are the most tuned at the moment. Shops are getting visited weekly. Many of the fines make sense but are not consistently handed over. Some items are okay to sell, while others are fined for the same. Laws are being interpreted in many different ways — often by the same public institution.
The following quotes are written in post-war Germany in 1946 by pastor Martin Niemöller. Martin’s comments are looking at the Nazi regime from hindsight, and they fit here perfectly:
First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out —
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out —
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me —
and there was no one left to speak for me.
So, diesel truck fans, please, write your senators. Many of us already have, and thousands of more letters will be required to make a change. If we just try it we can make a difference.
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Enjoy and Stay Safe!
