Speed Control Devices Now Mandatory for Certain Vehicles

Mumbai : As per the central government’s notification, the installation of speed control devices has been made mandatory for all vehicles except two-wheelers, three-wheelers, quadricycles, fire tenders, ambulances, and police vehicles. The process of fitting speed controllers on the applicable vehicles is underway. In recent days, vehicle owners have raised concerns about difficulties in obtaining fitness certificates for certain vehicle types. The Transport Department has outlined a procedure to address these issues and has urged vehicle owners to follow it.

According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ letter dated February 2, 2018, instructions have been issued to integrate data from retrofitted speed control devices into the vehicle system. It is mandatory for such devices to display a 16-digit UID number.

As per the April 15, 2015, notification from the Ministry, vehicles of Stage-4 and 6 standards manufactured after October 1, 2015, are equipped with an ECU-based engine system, and many include cruise control. Vehicles with such systems do not require an additional speed control device. Instructions have been given to all regional offices to renew the fitness certificates of these vehicles where speed controller details are available in the Vehicle 4.0 system.

If the details of the speed controller are not available in the Vehicle 4.0 system, the vehicle owner must obtain a certificate from the manufacturer or distributor confirming the presence of a speed control system in the vehicle’s ECU. This certificate will be verified and updated in the system by the Assistant Regional Transport Officer or a senior officer.

For vehicles without a manufacturer-installed ECU-based cruise control system, if an independent speed controller is fitted, and the 16-digit UID number is missing or not updated in the vehicle system, the owner must obtain an Installation Certificate from the retrofitting center and update this information in the Vehicle 4.0 system.

Assistant Transport Commissioner Kailas Kothavade has appealed to vehicle owners that, in cases where the model approval and production conformity certificates for speed controllers are unavailable or expired, they must install speed control devices from a manufacturer with valid certificates, as specified in the circular.