A new set of regulations for marine gensets: what you need to know

A look at CARB certifications and their effect on gensets

Let’s get the lay of the land first. CARB issues two kinds of stamps of approval. The first is CARB for life, which means the unit will be allowed into Californian borders for its entire lifespan under the current regulations. The second are certifications that allow non-2023 CARB for life units to operate in California for seven years. However, these 7-year certifications will not apply to units produced after May 31st 2023.

As the amount of global regulation rises, no one genset is capable of taking your fleet all over the world anymore. Changes happen frequently, and it can be easy to drown in so much information. This can lead to accidentally making mistakes without even being aware that you’re doing anything wrong. To make sure you don’t get lost in the muddy waters of regulation, we’ve listed what the new CARB regulations mean for Thermo King’s gensets.

What this means for your fleet

In essence, nothing changes you when you purchase the currently in-stock gensets – i.e. the SG-5000 and SG-3500 for North America as these are produced before May 31st 2023. Neither does it affect any Thermo King units you bought before 2023. These gensets were built using model-year 2022 engines or prior, and still enjoy both their CARB for life or 7-year certifications. Any SG-3500 and SG-5000 built before May 31st 2023 will just continue their journeys across North America and California under the same regulations as before. However, for the gensets to be built after May 31st only the SG-5000 will have CARB’s approval. Unfortunately, the SG-3500 produced after May 31st 2023 will not be granted a 7-year certification at all anymore after this date and will thus not be allowed to operate in the state of California.

Thermo King’s bigger and more powerful SG-5000 engines – capable of powering any reefer model, brand and age on the market, including the ultra-cold unit SuperFreezer – have provided the market with a reliable source of power since their release and will continue to do so after May 31st . Thermo King will of course keep an eye on the CARB regulations and communicate any future change, so you’re always kept up to date with the latest happenings in the industry.

The importance of expert guidance

With Thermo King, not only are you buying top-of-the-line temperature control units and gensets, you’re buying peace of mind with lifetime CARB for the SG-5000 series or 7-year life certification for any SG-3500 units build before May 31st 2023. You’ll also be able to count on our strong dealer network. In addition to qualified and dedicated staff, you’ll have premium access to genuine Thermo King service and maintenance parts. We ensure that parts are available throughout the lifespan of the unit in order to keep your product in tip-top shape throughout its entire life. The unique long-life fuel filters used in our units have a 3.000 hours service interval, which is part of why our units have a Total Cost of Ownership lower than any other unit currently on the market.

We’ll remain your expert partner at any stage of the process, to guide you through the process of choosing the genset right for you. For any and all support, you can always reach out to your local dealer.