Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 October 2013
235. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the attached (details supplied) regarding certificates for commercial vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44086/13]
View answerIt is a legal obligation throughout the EU for commercial vehicles owners to have their vehicles tested annually. Historically, Irish Road Traffic legislation made it an offence to use a commercial vehicle in a public place without a Certificate of Roadworthiness (CRW). Under the Road Safety Authority (Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness) Act 2012 a person guilty of such an offence is liable on summary conviction to a class A fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months, or to both.
Heretofore, rates of annual testing compliance have been unacceptable. The RSA is implementing important changes to improve the roadworthiness standard of commercial vehicles which will in turn improve safety on our road network. Vehicles that are off the road can deteriorate, therefore it is important that they be tested. For example, tyres and brake hoses may perish, while brake lines, brake reservoirs/air tanks, brake chambers and callipers may seize and or corrode.
As part of the Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Reform Programme, the issuing of CRWs is now aligned to the obligation to have commercial vehicles tested annually. Longer delays in completing tests result in shorter periods of validity for issued CRWs. Operators who fail to comply with the requirements for testing should not be allowed to gain an advantage over those who are proactively compliant. Where a vehicle is out of test for over a year, the validity of a CRW is six months from the test date with a further test being required at the expiry date of the relevant CRW.
