Motive has formally submitted its application to participate in California’s Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) Continuous Testing Program (CTP), a program designed to support continuous emissions testing and smog compliance for eligible vehicles using telematics and on-board diagnostics data.

This submission is an important step toward helping California fleets meet smog requirements remotely through telematics instead of relying solely on in-person inspections. That reduces disruption for vehicles that keep communities and the physical economy moving. It also reinforces Motive’s broader push to expand access for public sector fleets in California.

What is California’s BAR Continuous Testing Program?

BAR CTP is California’s Bureau of Automotive Repair program for continuous testing and smog compliance. Rather than relying only on periodic, in-person smog checks, BAR CTP is designed to use telematics and on-board diagnostics (OBD) data to monitor emissions-related performance on an ongoing basis.

For eligible vehicles, BAR CTP reduces the need to pull vehicles out of service for annual smog testing, helping fleets stay compliant with less disruption to day-to-day operations. 

Why continuous emissions testing matters for California fleets

California has introduced multiple programs to reduce the health and environmental impacts of heavy-duty vehicle emissions, including the CARB Clean Truck Check (CTC) program and BAR CTP. While Clean Truck Check focuses on heavy-duty vehicles over 14,000 lbs GVWR and requires periodic OBD-based emissions testing and reporting at the national level, BAR CTP is aimed at continuous testing and smog compliance using similar diagnostics data within California.

For fleets that operate in California, this regulatory landscape creates several practical challenges:

  • Keeping critical vehicles in service. Traditional smog checks and emissions tests take vehicles off the road. These interruptions can directly impact service levels and project timelines.
  • Coordinating compliance across large, mixed fleets. City, county, and state fleets often manage light-duty pickups, sanitation trucks, bucket trucks, transit vehicles, and heavy construction equipment, each with its own maintenance and compliance profile.
  • Avoiding penalties and administrative burden. Under programs like BAR CTP, missing testing deadlines can lead to DMV registration blocks and enforcement actions, which add cost and complexity for fleets that need to stay on the road.

Continuous testing programs are designed to address these challenges by using OBD and telematics data to monitor emissions-related components, confirm readiness for tests, and streamline reporting. Motive’s BAR CTP application is intended to help California fleets take advantage of those capabilities while staying within their operational and budget constraints.

How Motive is positioned to support BAR CTP

Motive’s platform already collects the types of vehicle diagnostics needed for emissions and compliance workflows. The same foundation that underpins Motive’s CARB Clean Truck Check certification now positions the company to support BAR CTP as well.

A telematics and diagnostics foundation

The Motive Vehicle Gateway is designed to automate BAR CTP data collection and secure submission in the background. Once connected to the vehicle’s diagnostic port, it can continuously capture the required vehicle data, format it to BAR requirements, and securely transmit it without manual work or human intervention. 

That helps fleets stay compliant with continuous testing requirements, reduces administrative burden and the risk of missed steps, and keeps vehicles road-ready.

A unified compliance and operations hub

Beyond emissions programs, Motive’s Integrated Operations Platform brings multiple compliance workflows into a single system, so fleets can manage safety, operations, and finance together instead of in silos:

  • Compliance Hub centralizes ELD compliance, IFTA reporting, driver qualification, and CSA score insights.
  • Maintenance Hub turns fault codes and DVIRs into proactive maintenance schedules, helping fleets address issues before they escalate.
  • Fuel and sustainability tools surface idling, harsh acceleration, and other behaviors that drive both emissions and fuel cost, giving fleets levers to reduce waste.

By submitting its BAR CTP application on top of this existing foundation, Motive is treating BAR CTP not as a standalone project, but as a natural extension of its compliance and telematics capabilities for California fleets.

Continuing Motive’s investment in California compliance

Motive’s BAR CTP application follows closely on the heels of its CARB Clean Truck Check certification award, which was announced in July 2026. For CARB CTC, Motive is working to provide:

  • Automated OBD-based data capture and reporting aligned with CARB specifications.
  • Fault detection and readiness checks that help fleets stay ahead of testing deadlines.
  • Integrated visibility into emissions, maintenance, fuel, and safety signals in one platform.

Together, CARB CTC and BAR CTP represent a broader strategy: help California fleets manage emissions compliance, safety, productivity, and cost efficiency through a single, AI-powered platform, instead of a patchwork of point solutions.

By bringing BAR CTP into that platform, Motive is working to ensure that regulatory readiness in California is not a separate project, but part of the same system fleets already use to run their operations.

What’s next and how to stay informed

BAR CTP participation is subject to BAR’s review and approval process. Today’s update reflects that Motive has submitted its application and is investing in the technical work needed to support continuous emissions testing and smog compliance through its platform.

As efforts progress, Motive will continue to share updates so fleets across industries can plan their California compliance roadmaps with greater confidence.