Richard Aldersley, regional manager of the Ritchie Bros Los Angeles facility, works as the auctioneer's clerk during a recent auction in Los Angeles.

Forklift sellers were among companies that participated in a Los Angeles auction to get global market value for equipment that just became subject to new California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations.

Richard Aldersley, regional manager of Ritchie Bros' Los Angeles site and the auctioneer's clerk at the Perris, Los Angeles auction, says the August 28 & 29 event was the company's first Los Angeles auction since new CARB regulations passed.

On July 26, CARB adopted emission-control regulations requiring off-road equipment using diesel engines to be retrofitted, re-powered or replaced.

Aldersley says about 70% of the 60 used forklifts sold at the auction were diesel forklifts that didn't meet the new CARB regulations. The rest were older forklifts with lifting capacities above 46,000lbs (18,143.7kg).

Most of the forklifts sold were Hysters, with the rest made up of Clark, Taylor, Mitsubishi, Caterpillar, Komatsu, Toyota, Yale, Nissan, Linde, Baker, Pettibone, TCM and Towmotor models.

Jim Dedolph, president of forklift sales, parts and rental company I-Lift in El Centro, California, says his company regularly uses Ritchie Bros' Phoenix, Arizona; and Perris, California sites to clear its excess forklift inventory.

"Forklift prices were a little soft at the auction in Perris, but it was something that I expected. It's the market right now - prices are softer around the world now."

Dedolph thinks CARB will affect the industry "very dramatically".

"In a few more years, there will be no more old forklifts in California. And actually the days are coming that there will be no more old construction equipment in California either. All the contractors that run the older forklifts, scrapers, loaders and dozers - they just won't be able to run them anymore."

He adds that CARB will not affect his business much because I-Lift's forklift sales in California were limited.

"Most of our sales end up crossing the border into Mexico or they go east to Arizona. Or we put forklifts in the Ritchie Bros. auction."

Aldersley says Ritchie Bros did not specially promote the auction to Californian equipment sellers wanting to unload surplus equipment to out-of-state or international buyers.

"As we have a permanent auction site in Perris, consignors or sellers know we hold regularly scheduled auctions there."

Most of the equipment subject to new CARB regulations went to Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and South America.

The Perris auction featured 2,659 lots from over 450 consignors and generated over USD29 million in gross auction proceeds. More than 2,200 registered bidders from 33 countries including 44 US states participated in the auction. Over 650 of registered bidders participated in the auction online using the company's online service, rbauctionBid-Live.