The two CARB lists
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) publishes two lists that brokers look at before a load goes to California. The 100 percent TRU compliant carrier list names companies whose registered transport refrigeration units (TRUs) all show compliance with CARB’s TRU regulation. The Truck and Bus compliant fleets list names fleets that reported compliance with the Truck and Bus Regulation and printed a certificate of reported compliance. CarrierTrail matches both lists to carrier records by USDOT number.
- Sample Hauling Inc.USDOT 0000000 · Springfield, IL
CARB TRU listlisted
On CARB’s 100 percent TRU compliant carrier list (refrigeration units, or reefers) as retrieved 2026-10-11 12:30 UTC. Carriers that run units owned by another business, or that have not registered with CARB, do not appear on it. Check CARB’s list before you rely on it. CARB TRU list ↗
CARB Truck and Buslisted
Listed among CARB’s Truck and Bus compliant fleets as retrieved 2026-10-11 12:40 UTC; certificate printed Oct 09, 2026. The list shows fleets that reported compliance to CARB. Check CARB’s lookup before you rely on it. CARB lookup ↗
Why brokers look for CARB compliant carriers
California’s TRU regulation (13 CCR 2477.8) tells freight brokers to require the carriers they hire to dispatch only refrigeration units that comply with it. CARB’s guidance for brokers, shippers and receivers says they may look carriers up on the 100 percent compliant list, and advises documenting the steps taken when hiring a carrier. For the Truck and Bus Regulation (13 CCR 2025(x)(2)), CARB’s lookup page says that anyone who operates or directs the operation of a covered vehicle needs to check that each company they hire is in compliance or has reported compliance to CARB. In 2018 CARB fined two out-of-state brokers under that regulation.
Where a listing shows in CarrierTrail
A carrier whose USDOT number is on a list carries a small tag for that list on its record: CARB TRU list, CARB Truck and Bus, or both. Open a tag for the full sentence: the list’s name, the time CarrierTrail retrieved it and a link to CARB’s page. The free lookup shows the same tags, and the carrier panel in your dashboard has a row for each list. The carrier locator has a filter for each list, and reports have a column for each.
Retrieved from CARB every day
CarrierTrail retrieves both lists once a day and shows the retrieval time on each tag. The lists themselves move faster. CARB updates the Truck and Bus lookup every hour, and a company’s place on the TRU list can change when a compliance deadline passes or when an owner brings its units into compliance. Check CARB’s own list before you rely on a listing.
Example: a refrigerated load into California
- Shortlist: search the lane in the carrier locator and switch on the filter for CARB’s TRU list.
- Read the tag: open a carrier. Its CARB TRU list tag gives the time CarrierTrail retrieved the list and a link to CARB’s page.
- Check at CARB: follow the link, search the carrier’s USDOT number on CARB’s own list and save the result with its date.
- Record: write in the carrier’s notes what you checked and when, then save your decision. The note is kept with the decision record.
What each tag tells you
- CARB TRU list: the carrier’s USDOT number was on CARB’s 100 percent TRU compliant carrier list at the retrieval time shown.
- CARB Truck and Bus: the number was listed among CARB’s Truck and Bus compliant fleets at the retrieval time shown. The tag adds the day the fleet printed its certificate.
- A link to CARB: each tag links to CARB’s own page for that list. Check CARB’s list before you rely on a listing.
Who is missing from each list, and why
CARB states these limits on its own pages.
- TRU list, units owned by another business: a company is left off when the units it runs belong to a lessor, a parent company or a holding company.
- TRU list, a unit out of compliance: a company appears only when every active unit it has registered shows compliance.
- TRU list, carriers based outside California: they may not have registered, so they may be missing.
- Truck and Bus, the fleet’s own report: the lookup shows fleets that reported compliance to CARB and printed a certificate. A fleet that reported and has not printed its certificate does not appear.
So a carrier with no tag may simply not have registered with CARB, or may run leased units. A missing tag does not say that a carrier is out of compliance. Ask the carrier and check CARB’s list.
The USDOT numbers on both lists are typed in by the companies themselves, so CarrierTrail shows a tag only when the listed name also agrees with the carrier’s name in the FMCSA census. On October 11, 2026, CARB’s TRU list held 9,975 entries with 7,094 distinct USDOT numbers among them, and 5,903 carriers carry the tag in CarrierTrail. On October 11, 2026, the Truck and Bus list named 33,708 fleets with 17,720 distinct USDOT numbers among them (most other fleets give a California number in place of a USDOT number), and 16,274 carriers carry the tag in CarrierTrail.
CARB’s own pages
- CARB 100 percent TRU compliant carrier list ↗: search by USDOT number, company, city or state, or download the whole list.
- CARB Truck and Bus fleet compliance lookup ↗: search by fleet name, TRUCRS ID or motor carrier number.
- CARB guidance for brokers, shippers and receivers ↗: what CARB asks of each under the TRU regulation (PDF).
- CARB news release, April 2018 ↗: fines for two out-of-state brokers under the Truck and Bus Regulation.
Questions brokers ask
How do I find CARB compliant carriers for a load?
Search the lane in the carrier locator and switch on the filter for CARB’s TRU list or for its Truck and Bus list. Every result is a carrier whose USDOT number is on that list. Check CARB’s own list before you rely on it.
A carrier is on neither list. Is it out of compliance?
A missing tag does not tell you that. CARB leaves a company off the TRU list when it runs units owned by a lessor or a parent company, and carriers based outside California may never have registered. Ask the carrier and check with CARB.
How current are the CARB lists in CarrierTrail?
Both lists are retrieved once a day, and each tag shows the time. CARB updates the Truck and Bus lookup every hour and the TRU list changes as companies’ units come into compliance or fall out of it, so the list on CARB’s site is the one to rely on.
Is the tag enough for my due diligence file?
The tag tells you that a USDOT number was on CARB’s list at the time shown. CARB’s guidance advises documenting the steps you take when hiring a carrier, so open CARB’s page, find the carrier there and note what you saw.
Do the two lists cover Clean Truck Check?
No. Clean Truck Check is a separate CARB program. CARB shows its status one vehicle at a time, by VIN, in its own lookup.