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Samsara, California State Agency Collaborate for Smoother Smog Checks

Telematics data from Samsara can now be used to automate smog testing and reporting for government vehicles in California.

Samsara, California State Agency Collaborate for Smoother Smog Checks

With data integrated from Samsara's platform, California’s BAR can automate this process and obtain the information needed to grant eligible government vehicles a passing score on their smog check. 

Photo: Samsara

2 min to read


Samsara has joined the California Bureau of Automotive Repair’s (BAR) Continuous Testing Program (CTP) pilot, a program designed to help alleviate the effort of in-person smog testing for public sector fleets in California. As part of this program, emissions and diagnostic data from Samsara can now be integrated with the California BAR to automate the smog reporting process at scale, reduce downtime, and better manage compliance. 

Government agencies that own or operate vehicles in California are subject to strict Smog Check Program requirements. These smog tests, historically manual and time-consuming, can lead to significant downtime and disrupt productivity at scale. Now, with data integrated from Samsara's platform, California’s BAR can automate this process and obtain the information needed to grant eligible government vehicles a passing score on their smog check, without the need of an in-person inspection. 

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Samsara is one of five vendors currently certified to participate in the California BAR CTP pilot program. This integration joins over 260 available on the Samsara App Marketplace and is now in open beta to eligible customers. Learn morehere.

"Samsara's inclusion in California's stringent BAR CTP pilot is a testament to how our platform is helping pave the way to a cleaner tomorrow," said Rhonda Eiffe, AVP of Public Sector at Samsara. "Smog tests are incredibly important to reduce carbon emissions and advance toward California's ambitious climate goals. With this integration, we are excited to streamline the smog testing and reporting process for public sector fleets across the state and enable them to operate more efficiently."

Samsara customer, the city of Ventura, California, is currently participating in the California BAR CTP pilot program. The Public Works Department for the city of Ventura is responsible for the acquisition, maintenance, and repair of hundreds of city-owned vehicles and pieces of equipment. They also ensure the city promotes environmentally friendly practices and complies with federal and state emissions regulations.

Jaime Aguayo, fleet supervisor for the city of Ventura explained, “We run in-house smog testing that requires 50% of our vehicles to be brought in, inspected, and pass smog in a calendar year. Now that information from Samsara will be shared directly with the BAR, we can reduce this downtime and run tests more effectively.” Aguayo continued, “With Samsara, there’s an ongoing feedback loop and constant evolution of how their technology can meet our needs - I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”

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