Post-inspection to not lower vehicle inspection standards

(HNMO) - The need for a post-inspection mechanism to deter units from lowering technical standards during vehicle inspections is the view expressed by Dr. Chu Manh Hung, former Deputy Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment ( Ministry of Transport ), regarding the new government regulation allowing maintenance and repair facilities to participate in vehicle inspections.

The government allows maintenance facilities to participate in vehicle inspections (illustrative image).

According to Decree No. 30/2023/ND-CP amending and supplementing Decree No. 139/2018/ND-CP on the business of motor vehicle inspection services, recently issued by the Government on June 8, 2023 (effective immediately), maintenance and repair facilities are allowed to participate in vehicle inspection. However, these facilities wishing to be licensed to conduct inspections must meet the necessary conditions, such as premises, equipment, and personnel, as stipulated in the regulations for establishing vehicle inspection units.

According to Dr. Chu Manh Hung, this regulation has a positive impact in that it helps to immediately reduce the workload at existing vehicle inspection stations; ensuring that vehicle inspections are conducted regularly in conjunction with maintenance cycles. The involvement of maintenance facilities in vehicle inspections has been implemented very effectively in several countries.

However, it is crucial that we manage quality standards to ensure the technical safety of vehicles. These maintenance facilities must be responsible for their products when they are put into traffic, and there must be a mechanism to hold them accountable to prevent situations where facilities operate arbitrarily, engage in unfair competition, attract customers by being lenient, skipping steps in the inspection process, and not strictly adhering to technical safety and environmental protection criteria. Therefore, the role of inspection, auditing, and post-inspection agencies is very important to deter facilities from lowering technical standards.

While affirming support for this initiative, the Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, Nguyen Van Quyen, stated that it would not be easy to implement immediately. According to regulations, automobile maintenance and repair facilities wishing to obtain inspection licenses must meet certain conditions, such as premises, equipment, and a qualified team of inspectors, according to the standards of an inspection station. Currently, most of these facilities are concentrated in large urban areas, where space is often limited, with existing areas only sufficient for maintenance and repair work. Therefore, not many maintenance and repair facilities will meet the requirements to expand into inspection services. Even if a facility meets these conditions, it will still require time for preparation and assessment by the management agency, so it cannot be done quickly.

Furthermore, some experts believe that a series of regulations stipulating exemptions and extensions of vehicle inspection cycles for new cars and family cars, as well as increases in inspection service fees, will lead to a decrease in the number of vehicles requiring inspection in the future. These factors will force repair and maintenance facilities to consider whether or not to participate in providing vehicle inspection services, as the primary goal of these businesses is profit.

Source