Under new regulations announced by Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, heavy and large trucks will require official inspection twice annually instead of once a year, as is the case today.

To date, trucks and heavy vehicles have had to carry out an inspection once a year. Minister Katz noted that the additional test was intended to increase the level of safety in vehicles. This is in addition to the obligation to install safety systems in heavy and commercial vehicles

Increase the safety of trucks and heavy vehicles. As of March 1, 2018, trucks and commercial vehicles with a gross weight exceeding 10 tons will be required to carry out a six-month inspection, instead of one year.

Minister Katz decided to charge heavy vehicles (including trailers and supports) to an additional licensing inspection, as part of a series of measures designed to increase vehicle safety. It should be noted that about two years ago, Minister Katz signed a regulation requiring the installation of safety systems (deviation from the path and keeping distance) in heavy and commercial vehicles, from the year of production 2012 onwards.

The regulation will come into effect in January 2018. Therefore, the licenses of heavy vehicles, which are required to perform an inspection from March onwards, will be valid for a period of only 6 months, and not for a period of one year, as is customary today.

It should be noted that trucks and commercial vehicles are now required to pass winter tests at an authorized garage or at the Vehicle Licensing Institute, in addition to the annual inspection. The semi-annual inspection will replace current winter inspection if drivers do the test 90 days before the planned winter test.

Senior Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Transportation, Avner Flor, said that the Licensing Institutes are prepared to receive the additional vehicles and, if requested, extend the operation hours of the licensing institutes nationwide.

Data from the National Road Safety Authority shows that the involvement of trucks and heavy vehicles in fatal road accidents is relatively high compared to the rate of vehicles in comparison to the rest of the vehicles. In 2017 there was a decrease of more than 15% in the number of fatalities in accidents involving heavy trucks over 3.5 tons and buses (92 in 2017 compared to 109 in 2016).

It should be noted that the Ministry of Transport, in cooperation with the Israel Police, enforces road traffic against trucks and buses through the safety vehicles of the vehicle division. These inspections are designed to locate vehicles with safety defects in order to reduce their involvement in road accidents. Every month, dozens of trucks and heavy vehicles are removed from the road, where safety faults were discovered.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)