California BAR's Continuous Testing Program for Government Fleets

The Continuous Testing Program (CTP) was developed by The California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) to provide government agencies with fleet vehicles an easier, more efficient and environmentally-friendly way to track emissions.

Instead of completing the required California smog testing every other year, government fleet vehicles can substitute their biennial Smog Check inspections if they are approved by the CTP and are active participants with vehicles that meet the necessary criteria. Typical Smog Check tests cost anywhere from $29.95 to $69.95. Substituting the Smog Check BAR inspections allows government fleets to forego those costs and the time it takes to complete them while ensuring their vehicles are running as cleanly and safely.

Through the course of the CTP, Forward Thinking Systems and the California BAR program are collecting data related to diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) and smog-specific sensor information using a vehicle’s On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II) port. Forward Thinking Systems processes and stores the data, and the California BAR securely pulls that information and uses it to remotely evaluate the vehicles.

If a vehicle is showing signs of trouble, the California BAR will alert the organization and ask that the vehicle be brought in for a Smog Check inspection. However, the vehicle can skip its biennial Smog Check inspection if its data provides a clean bill of health. The data evaluated is treated with the same standards as if a typical Smog Check was being performed. Learn more and apply for the CTP by filling out the enrollment application form below.