Transport department fixes norms for speed limit devices in commercial vehicles

Uttar Pradesh transport department has fixed rules for the installation of speed limiting devices (SLDs) in transport or commercial vehicles asking manufacturing companies/dealers and officials to start fitment work.

The central government has fixed the maximum limit at 80 kmph for most transport vehicles like buses, trucks and taxis/cabs and 60 kmph for vehicles like school buses, dumper and tankers.

A vehicle with an SLD will not be able to run beyond the speed limit set for it.

A senior official in transport department said, “Transport commissioner P Guru Prasad has issued a notification with regard to retrofitting of speed limiting devices in transport vehicles (these do not include personal vehicles like cars) in view of increasing road accidents in the state.”

As per the notification, vehicles like two-wheelers, three-wheelers, fire-tenders, ambulances and police vehicles have been exempted from retrofitting of SLDs, also called speed governors, the officer added.

The rules laid down by the Centre in 2012 expected transport vehicles manufactured on October 1, 2015 or after to be fitted with SLD at the level of manufacturer/dealer.

However, the Centre had to keep on extending the deadline due to non-preparedness by states – the last deadline being January 31, 2017.

“Fitting speed limiting devises into existing transport vehicles is mandatory after February 1, 2017 after which the Centre has given no relaxation,” the transport commissioner’s notification said.

Issuing the guidelines for imposing speed governors, the notification said the SLD, which should be electromagnetic compatibility based and approved by any of the authorised testing agencies, the dealer/manufacture should generate a unique identification number for each SLD installed in a vehicle with registration number of the vehicle engraved on the sealed SLD so that the same device is not used by another vehicle.

The guidelines also require the SLD provider to set up a management information system to keep a record of speed of vehicles fitted with the device. Similarly, manufacturers/dealers have been asked to ensure that each transport vehicle manufactured/sold by them has a quick response code-based sticker pasted on its front windscreen, testifying that the vehicle is fitted with an SLD.

The transport department has, however, not fixed any timeframe for companies or officials to start fitting SLDs in vehicles. “The work is huge and getting it done will be a hard nut to crack,” an official said.