The Volkswagen emissions scandal is the largest so far to rock the industry, and it's still not over. But the scope of the VW emissions defeat devices overshadowed the fact that other automakers have engaged in similar actions, including Ford, Mercedes, and more.But if you were to draw out an ordered list of automakers who might end up settling emissions cases in the US, Volvo would be somewhere at the bottom. Yet, Reuters reports Volvo Group has agreed to a whopping $197 million settlement with California for excess emissions. It's not for Volvo cars, however. This targets the company's truck division. Volvo Trucks Are Widely Used In The US VolvoThe vast majority of alleged emission cheats involve diesel engines, and Volvo isn't famed for diesel engines in cars in the US. However, the accusation from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is that Volvo failed to properly disclose auxiliary emission control devices on over 10,000 of its 2010-2016 model year heavy-duty semi truck engines in California. That resulted in emissions in excess of regulatory limits.As a result of the settlement, Volvo agreed to pay $13 million in civil penalties, $71 million to CARB's Air Pollution Control Fund, spend $108 million on California emissions-reduction projects, and reimburse $5 million of CARB's costs.We should point out that Volvo says that the settlement is without admission of liability, and that an internal review found no evidence of bad faith.Volvo said it would take a $197 million charge to its second-quarter operating results, and spread the damage over several quarters in terms of cash flow. Where Does Volvo Go From Here? Volvo Trucks On top of the financial settlement, Volvo has agreed to make software updates and a partial warranty extension available for about 7,200 engines in California. According to CARB, Volvo fully cooperated with the state investigation, and acted in good faith and with transparency in explaining and improving its emissions control devices.It all sounds very amicable, but it's an incredibly expensive incident for Volvo in the US. While Volvo has denied any wrongdoing, a settlement still doesn't look good for the company, either in the US or abroad. Volvo Group Trucks business is immense and global, and has the engineering to operate under many different government regulations. It has been around since 1928, operates in over 70 countries, and has become a dominant force in global logistics.In North America, you don't see as many Volvo trucks on the road as in Europe, for example. But Volvo's presence in the semi truck industry here runs deep. Volvo started out by acquiring White Trucks, Autocar, and the Stirling brand. In 1981, the Volvo GM Heavy Truck Corporation was formed, with Volvo taking an 85% stake in the operation. Volvo also owns Mack Trucks, which is its largest presence in North America.Though this affects Volvo's biggest work vehicles, one can't help but appreciate some irony in this situation. Volvo has been moving towards a full electric lineup in the US, so much that the company no longer has the ability to even make its own combustion engines for passenger vehicles. It's a reminder of just how difficult it is to be an automaker in the current global market where rules and laws can differ greatly between countries, and in the US, can even differ from week to week under the current administration.