Hino Motors Corporation (a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Company) of Hino-Shi, Japan in early March suspended sales of several medium- and heavy-duty vehicle models in Japan after admitting to falsifying engine performance data to obtain emissions and fuel economy certifications.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India has proposed that the procedure for type approval and certification of Road Trains be in accordance with AIS-113 (covering trailers and semi-trailers in categories T2-4, being towed by N2-3 vehicles).

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India has proposed that rigid vehicles and tractor-trailer combinations be allowed to have up to three decks for the carriage of two-wheelers.

New tyre labelling introduced in May 2021 by the European Union for EU countries including Northern Ireland, must now be applied to new heavy-duty commercial vehicle tyres by all commercial vehicle suppliers and independent tyre suppliers.

BYD has been targeted in a total ban on federal transit funding for manufacturers linked to China, which came into effect on 20th December 2021.

If passed through the European Parliament, the reforms will give operators the freedom to hire goods vehicles registered in a different EU member state, albeit with some restrictions on duration which member states may choose to impose.

Currently, there are no regulations outlining the use of battery fire suppression systems on electric commercial vehicles. Increasing demand for electric buses is beginning to highlight the need for increased regulation.

Autonomous vehicle specialist EasyMile has been granted permission to operate Level 4 autonomous vehicles on French public roads.

The Hydrogen Heavy Duty Vehicle Industry Group, including Hyundai, Toyota, and Nikola, has agreed to push ahead with a common global standard for hydrogen refuelling technologies to help “bring hydrogen closer to wide scale adoption”. 

Dutch bus builder Ebusco Holding N.V. based in Deurne, The Netherlands, has announced that its 3.0 model has become the first composite bus to achieve EU Vehicle Type Approval.

European Union legislation targeting underrun protection came into effect on September 1, 2021. Aiming to increase safety for the occupants of smaller vehicles in the event of a rear-end collision with a larger trailer, the EU has imposed a reduction in the ground clearance of the underrun protection to no more than 450mm (previously 550mm).

Following the close of the nine-year trial and consultation into the introduction of LSTs, the DoT has concluded that they should be rolled-out beginning in 2022.