Road ministry mandates location tracking devices, event data recorder on haulage tractors
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The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has mandated all haulage tractors to be equipped with vehicle location tracking devices (VLTD) with effect from October 1, 2026, a move aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and safety.In a notification to amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, the ministry has proposed integrating the VLTD with an RFID transceiver conforming to, capable of reading RFID data from the coupled trailer and transmitting it to the backend.'All trailers shall be fitted with passive RFID tags to enable electronic identification and pairing with tractors,' it said in the draft notification dated July 23, 2025.The draft changes will be finalised within 30 days.Besides, it has also mandated all haulage tractors to be equipped with an event data recorder (EDR) to capture and store critical vehicle data with effect from April 1, 2027.'The EDR shall be capable of recording parameters necessary for analysing operational events and enhancing safety monitoring,' it said, directing the concerned authority to suitably amend the existing norms to incorporate the requirements for this application on or before December 31, 2025.
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