LEGISLATION
Check your tyres before heading to Germany, as from tomorrow no all-season and winter tyres are allowed on the country’s roads without the 3PMSF ‘snowflake’ symbol on the sidewall. Failure to comply may result in a 60 euro fine – or much more should a collision occur.
Changes to UN/ECE Regulation No. 117 (R117) came into effect on 1 July 2024 and extend the regulation to include limits related to the wet grip properties of worn tyres. Michelin, which has long advocated for tyres that are safe right down to the 1.6mm legal tread depth limit, expresses strong support for the updated R117-04. In a statement issued this week, the tyre maker praises R117-04 for its role in “guaranteeing better safety on the roads” while also “addressing the issues of protecting both the planet and the purchasing power of European motorists.”
The “Guidance Catalog for Industrial Structural Adjustment (2024 Edition)” issued by the Chinese authorities has a guiding role in how China’s tyre industry will develop in the next year. The new guidance document will be effective from February 1, 2024, covering three categories: encouragement, restriction, and elimination.
The European Parliament and Member States have come to an agreement relating to the Data Act. The Data Act is legislation designed to make a competitive data market, opening opportunities for data-driven innovation. The European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) welcomed the agreement.
As reported yesterday, Italy’s government is looking to ensure tyre maker Pirelli isn’t unduly influenced by its largest shareholder. A piece of legislation named Golden Power may help to this end, and in light of activities linked to this rule, Pirelli has postponed an upcoming shareholders’ meeting.
Australia’s government has included tyres in the list of products that industry must ensure are handled and ultimately disposed of in an environmentally appropriate manner. Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek added tyres to the Minister’s product stewardship priority list for 2022–23. This list was published on 8 November.
Effective 1 December 2022, vehicles in Estonia will be required to use winter tyres marked with Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) symbol, indicating that they are accredited for winter grip performance.
The UK Alliance for the Freedom of Car Repair (UK AFCAR) has welcomed the new Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Order (MV-BEO) proposals but has called for effective implementation of the proposals.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is recommending to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Jacob Rees-Mogg, that the retained Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulations (MV-BER) should be replaced by a MV-BEO, which should remain in place until 31 May 2029.
The recent publication of Shandong provincial government’s 2022 six department work plan states that the authorities are promoting the elimination of outdated production capacity. Within that, it is worth noting that the tyre industry is described as a regulatory priority. Specifically, if a tyre manufacturer’s annual output cannot reach 1.2 million all-steel radial tyres (excluding engineering tyres, aviation tyres and wide-section tubeless tyres) or 5 million semi-steel radial tyres (excluding run-flat tyres, high-end racing tyres, and ultra-low profile tyres), it is highly likely to be forced to integrate or exit.
Reports suggesting UK transport secretary Grant Shapps is once again considering changing MOT frequencies to two-yearly intervals began being published on the evening of 26 April 2022. On the morning 27 April, Shapps was refusing to rule out those changes. Whenever the transport secretary came up with the plans they are old news which has been repeatedly debated, consulted on and ultimately rejected. Such proposals are also “ill-advised” according to the National Tyre Distributors Association, whose chief executive Stefan Hays blasted Shapps’ alleged MOT proposal in a statement released at noon on 27 April.
The Independent Garage Association (IGA) is partnering with DVSA to host a presentation to garages across the country in 2022. The idea is to keep businesses up-to-date with “new legislation and industry scams to be aware of, as well as providing an opportunity for discussion of topics such as MOT testing and garage work provision.”
New Government regulations coming into effect today (14 February 2022) mean that more environmentally-friendly heavy goods vehicles are now allowed on Britain’s roads. The new rules will allow haulage companies to choose vehicles with elongated cabs and aerodynamic features fitted on the back, which help reduce fuel consumption. A 2013 study estimated that these aerodynamic improvements to HGVs could result in fuel savings of 7 per cent to 15 per cent.
In August 2021, DVSA wrote to stakeholders to consult on its proposals to increase most DVSA statutory fees by 1.5 per cent. The results are now in and the headline news is that more than two-thirds supported the incremental statutory fee increase.
On 1 May 2021 new tyre labelling rules take effect across Europe. Now, the Tyre Industry Federation (TIF – the umbrella body for UK tyre associations BTMA, ITMA and NTDA) has published details of its proactive response to the rules and specifically to their implementation in the post-Brexit environment. In short, cross-industry cooperation means the latest information will be available for the market from 1 May. The UK government Department for Transport (DfT) has welcomed the tyre industry’s approach to the implementation of the new tyre labelling regulations since the solution allows the continued flow of labelling information to consumers despite initial regulatory differences between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Less than two weeks before the new 10-year-old tyre ban takes effect and two weeks after DVSA updated its definition of the rules, the Department for Transport (DfT) has released new guidance on how to understand the legislation as well as a summary of the corresponding penalties.
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Marcus Spiske; Unsplash)
Dan Otis; Unsplash
AFCAR
没电的话筒; Pixabay
TIF
DfT