The Systech Newsletter: October 2011
Feature Story
Wisconsin issues intent to award emissions testing program to Systech. Opus Prodox AB (publ) today announces that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), after completing its evaluation of a competitive bidding process, has issued the intent to award the State of Wisconsin emissions testing program contract to Opus subsidiary, Systech International, LLC. Testing will begin in July 2012.
Systech and WisDOT are currently negotiating a five year contract with two three year extensions, a total of 11 years.
“We are pleased that the WisDOT has chosen Systech in a competitive bid to implement and manage an emissions testing program,” said Lothar Geilen, CEO of Systech. “This contract also allows Systech to implement many of its new innovative features, including a new vehicle registration renewal program.”
The WisDOT emission testing program addresses over a million vehicles, which are required to pass emissions inspections in the seven most populated counties in Wisconsin.
The order value is not stated due to competitive reasons. Opus Prodox AB Press Release 29 September 2011
Testing and Regulations
Washington State: The Department of Ecology adopts a new updated motor vehicle emissions testing program rule, set to go in effect in July 2012. Among the many changes, model 2009 and newer vehicles will be exempt from testing; gas cap and dynamometer testing will be eliminated, and while light duty diesel vehicles will be exempted under the new rule, test standards for heavy-duty diesel vehicles will be tightened. There may also be emissions testing opportunities for small auto repair businesses, opening the door to a more decentralized program. State of Washington, Department of Ecology. Link to article
Equipment, Tools, and Gear
Need Shock Absorbers? Just ask your Droid. One hundred and four years after Gabriel’s founder invented the first shock absorber, the company is now offering an all-new Mobile Part Search available for most new smartphones. The site is accessed through Gabriel’s website (www.gabriel.com) which senses that the searcher is using a smartphone and adjusts accordingly, pulling up the Gabriel Light Vehicle Part Search window. The utility has been optimized for visibility and ease of use on most popular smartphone platforms, such as i-Phone, Blackberry, and Droid. Users can search by year, make, model, engine, or part number. Autocarepronews.com Link to Article
Touch-Screen Steering Wheel
But will my fuzzy steering wheel cover still fit? Now in development: a touch screen steering wheel that allows drivers to control various functions—such as turning on the radio or adjusting the climate system—without taking their hands from the steering wheel or their eyes off the road. The Touch Screen Steering Wheel makes use of all the empty space in the interior of the steering wheel, and puts various control functions at thumb’s reach. Researchers even plan to make the screen thin enough that an air bag can punch through the control screen when deployed in an emergency. The new technology may be the first step in eliminating the confusing buttons now crowding steering columns on some cars. Auto Tech on MSNBC.com Link to Article
Enforcement
Texas used car dealer nabbed for falsifying test results at his own inspection station. An Arlington used car dealer who had been previously charged with falsifying vehicle emission test results has entered into an agreed judgment requiring him to comply with Texas law. Hussein Mahrouq, owner of Automax and Dollar Rent-a-Car Sales dealerships had been unlawfully sending vehicles to be tested at a company-owned inspection facility called “A Quick Inspection.” At Mahrouq’s testing station, cars that would likely fail emissions testing would have results from a passing vehicle posted to their test records, a practice called “clean scanning.” The agreement requires Mahrouq, who no longer operates a testing station, to submit the names of the stations where his cars will be tested so that the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTOG) can check databases to ensure proper testing results. The defendant must also notify customers who bought vehicles with falsified inspection records and retest those vehicles at his expense. As part of the agreement, Mahrouq will pay $50,000 in civil penalties and attorney’s fees. Texas Insider. Link to Article
Last of Nevada ten sentenced for “clean scanning.” The last of ten former Nevada emissions inspectors convicted of “clean scanning” was sentenced before District Judge Lloyd D. George of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. William Joseph McCown, 49, of Las Vegas, was indicted by a grand jury in January 2010, along with nine others, each from a different inspection location. NDMV analysts estimate that about 4,000 false vehicle emissions certificates had been issued in 2008 in Las Vegas alone. In the investigation that resulted in the arrest and conviction of the ten inspectors, none of them had issued more than 200 falsifications; McCown was the exception, with 758. McCown pled guilty to one count of violating the Clean Air Act. He was sentenced to four years of probation, a $4,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment. US Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Link to Article
State News
Anchorage, Alaska. Vehicle emissions testing in Alaska’s largest metro area is anticipated to end sometime next year. The program was begun in 1985 to help Anchorage meet federal clean air standards for carbon monoxide; but the area has not violated air standards since 1996. Cleaner burning cars have made it possible for Anchorage to obtain EPA approval, anticipated later this year, to end the I/M program, with final tests taking place a few months later. While many are cheering this development, others are concerned about the recurrence of air quality alerts, now a rarity. Anchorage Daily News: adn.com Link to Article
Colorado. For the second time in two years a Weld-county lawmaker, Rep. Glenn Vaad, R-Mead, is sponsoring legislation to end vehicle emissions testing in Weld and Larimer counties, saying that air quality numbers show consistent compliance with environmental standards and testing is therefore no longer necessary. Controversy over the numbers and their interpretation will probably mean the bill will meet stiff opposition. Last year, Rep. Vaad and Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley, sought to repeal legislation passed last year by the Democratic-led legislature, expanding the Denver metro-area’s longstanding emissions testing program into nearby Larimer and Weld counties. Rep. John Kefalas, D-Fort Collins, of Weld County, who voted against last year’s bill, disagrees with Vaad’s interpretation of the numbers. “There’s still legitimate public health concerns,” said Rep. Kefalas, “particularly for those who are most vulnerable to air quality such as those with asthma.” Colorado News Agency Link to Article
Off The Beaten Track
Martha Stewart, can you replace a tail light? Better call Audra. She’s the owner of Great Bear Auto Repair and Auto Body, in Flushing, Queens (New York), and about to be awarded a prestigious small business achievement award in her community. She’s also an ASE-certified technician who turns a wrench herself at her shop, and even answers auto repair questions on local TV and radio. She’s Audra Fordin, and this Jewish mother even runs a free monthly workshop for women motorists, “What Women Auto Know,” teaching skills such as changing tires and replacing tail lights. NewYorkDailyNews.com Link to Article
Audra Fordin at work
