Prolonged specialist fit-out of band buses leads to conflict with EU Regulation 165/2014 requirement
An operator of specialised coaches has raised the possibility that the introduction of so-called ‘smart’ tachographs may leave him unable to register new vehicles under some circumstances.
EU Regulation 165/2014 states that if a vehicle with a tachograph is to be registered from 15 June 2019, the device must be of the latest generation that automatically logs a vehicle’s position and allows roadside data interrogation.
However, Steve Lee, MD of ‘band bus’ operator Jumbocruiser, says that one manufacturer has told him that chassis with the new type of recording unit will not be available until May.
“From arrival at the bodybuilder to the completed coach entering service can be six months,” says Mr Lee. Jumbocruiser’s vehicles undergo a three-month fit-out in the UK. They are then certified via the IVA process.
“We could receive a new coach from the bodybuilder in April, with an old-style tachograph. By the time it is ready for IVA it would be July.”
In response to Mr Lee’s query, the DVSA has advised that no leeway is possible. At the moment, the agency’s instructions are that the Regulation must be complied with regardless of Brexit.
“The legislation is quite clear. The date of registration of the vehicle is key. If it is registered from 15 July 2019 and is subject to EU drivers’ hours regulations, it must be fitted with a second-generation annex 1C tachograph,” says an email from a policy specialist.
Mr Lee adds that because of his specialist requirements, it will not be possible for him to source a chassis with a next-generation tachograph any sooner.
There is no suggestion that the issue will affect buyers in the mainstream market.
