Yahoo Autos The Diesel Brothers Exhaust Their Defense
The Diesel Brothers, stars of a Discovery Channel reality-TV show, have been fined more than $850,000 for bypassing emissions regulations in customizing the trucks that star on their show.
The three defendants were sued by Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, which bought one of their diesel trucks and found it to be 36 times dirtier than the stock version.
It's not only the Diesel Brothers flouting the law; it's easy to find aftermarket modifications to let you work around emissions equipment—and emissions testing.
If you've ever seen a diesel pickup belching black smoke through an exhaust pipe that looks like it should have Ninja Turtles living in it, you may have wondered, "Is that legal?" And the answer is no. The EPA forbids tampering with emissions equipment, and both state and local governments have specifically banned rolling coal. And now, a trio of high-profile truck nuts, the Discovery Channel's Diesel Brothers, are facing an $851,451 fine for building and selling trucks with bypassed or nonexistent emissions equipment.
A lawsuit, brought by Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, argued that the Diesel Brothers were pretty clearly in violation of the Clean Air Act, given that they do it right on TV. The defendants—David Sparks, Joshua Stuart and Keaton Hoskins—claimed that, yes, they built smoke-spewing trucks, but that wasn't a Utah problem since most of the trucks were sold out of state.
And furthermore, a big fine is inappropriate for some humble struggling mechanics. The Diesel Brothers' lawyers argued that the business only makes about $1500 per truck. Or, ultimately a lot less on the truck they unwittingly sold to Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, which tested it and found it to be 36 times dirtier than stock. Whoops.
