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October 17, 2000 9:10 AM, EDT

New York, though behind schedule, has begun putting some sting to its enforcement of restrictions on how much smoke may come out of diesel engine exhaust stacks.

Legislation passed in 1998 directed roadside smoke testing to begin June 1999, but a number of problems kept that from happening on schedule. Instead, the roadside inspections were conducted but no tickets were issued to violators.

But the gloves came off at the beginning of October. Truckers now face fines of up to $1,300 if they fail the tests and do not get the problem fixed within 30 days.

Annual emissions tests are required for trucks registered in the nine-county New York City metropolitan area, where air pollution problems are considered at their worst.

For the full story, see the Oct. 16 print edition of Transport Topics. .