Did you know that there is an essential second appointment for your commercial vehicle? Since 1999, these vehicles have had to pass an additional test at the technical inspection, namely: an antipollution test. The latter measures and verifies the polluting emissions of vehicles. What does pollution control consist of? What vehicles are affected? Or how often should you take it? Find out everything you need to know about commercial vehicle pollution control in this article.
Commercial vehicle pollution testing is an important process that aims to ensure that vehicles used for professional purposes meet current environmental standards. These standards aim to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants in order to protect the health of people and the environment.
The technical inspection of commercial vehicles is a mandatory process that is carried out every year, between the mandatory annual technical inspections. Like the latter, this test is also carried out in an authorized control center and consists of a review of 133 security points. If it reveals minor, major or critical failures, repairs and a counter-inspection will be necessary.
The annual car pollution test applies to all light commercial vehicles, that is to say those whose Total Weight With Load (GVWR) is less than 3.5 tons, whether powered by diesel or gasoline. These vehicles are identified on their vehicle registration by the mention “CTTE” and can take the form of a van, van or pick-up truck.
You must carry out an anti-pollution inspection on your commercial vehicle between the 10th and 12th months following the date of the technical inspection. Thus, this additional check is carried out between 2 annual technical inspections. Note that since 2018, the deadline can be found on the technical inspection report as well as on the sticker.
You passed your commercial vehicle for a technical inspection on 1Er January 2020 successfully. So the anniversary date of your next check is 1Er January 2021. If you take the previous two months, you will therefore have to take your complementary pollution visit between 1Er November 2020 and December 31, 2020.
Now let's take the case where you passed your commercial vehicle through the technical inspection on 1Er January 2019, unfortunately, this one was not successful. Once you have made the required repairs, you therefore have a counter-visit within two legal months.
Let's say you validate your counter-visit on February 1, 2019, you must then pass your complementary anti-pollution check between December 1, 2019 and January 31, 2020.
To carry out these anti-pollution checks, you must go to a center approved by the prefecture. During this test, the auditors check several essential criteria relating mainly to polluting emissions. More specifically, the verified points are:
If the inspector finds a failure on any of these elements, you will have to subject your vehicle to a counter-inspection.
If you have gasoline-powered vehicles, the success of the pollution control depends largely on CO2 emissions. Acceptable rates depend on the date the vehicle is put into service.
In the case of diesel vehicles, compliance with anti-pollution standards is established in particular on the basis of the opacity of the smoke emitted.
GOOD TO KNOW:
If, during a traffic stop, the police find that the gases in your exhaust pipe are too dark or that an exhaust pipe is too noisy, you can be sanctioned on the spot. You will then receive a ticket.
Any failure of your vehicle poses a significant risk to your safety as well as that of other road users. Especially since by maintaining your vehicle and its engine, it pollutes less. It is therefore important to maintain your van regularly.
To do this, here are our various tips:
If a commercial vehicle obtains an unsatisfactory result during an anti-pollution check, it is important to act quickly to correct the problems. Indeed, the performance of a vehicle depends largely on the condition of its engine. By making the appropriate adjustments to reduce pollutant emissions, commercial vehicle drivers who have failed an pollution test could make an appointment for their counter-visit.
It is important to remember that regular and careful maintenance of a vehicle is the best way to avoid critical failures during technical inspections. So make sure that your vehicle's engine is in good condition by having the ignition system, fuel system and injection pump checked. A well-maintained engine will consume less fuel, be less polluting, and be less prone to breakdowns than an engine that is poorly maintained.
Do you want to discover our infallible and complete guide to the technical inspection of commercial vehicles? See you in This article.
