Government Mandates AC Cabins in Trucks by October 2025 for Driver Health
From October 2025, air-conditioned cabins will become mandatory for truck drivers. This decision has been announced by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to mitigate health risks for drivers during long journeys, reduce the adverse effects on their health, and prevent road accidents.
Implementation of Air Conditioned Cabins for N2 and N3 Category Vehicles
According to the notification, starting from October 1, 2025, or later, newly produced vehicles falling under N2 and N3 categories must be equipped with air-conditioning systems in their cabins. This implies that all new trucks must have a factory-fitted AC cabin. The deadline for compliance with this regulation was set to be January 1, 2025.
N2 Category: Includes vehicles with a total weight exceeding 3.5 tons but less than 12 tons.
N3 Category: Encompasses vehicles with a total weight exceeding 12 tons.
Prominent truck manufacturers such as Volvo and Scania offer high-end trucks with AC cabins. Tata Motors leads in the Indian market, followed by Mahindra and Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, and Force Motors.
Crash Test for Cars to Begin in the Country from December 15
To ensure safety ratings for active cars on the road, the Indian New Car Assessment Program (Bharat NCAP or BNCAP) is set to commence crash tests from December 15, 2023. The testing agency initiated its operations on October 1.
Crash Test Procedure:
- Four to five human-like dummies are placed in the car, including a child dummy fixed to a child ISOFIX anchor seat on the rear seat.
- The vehicle and dummies undergo an offset deformable barrier (hard object) impact at a specified speed.
- In frontal impact tests, the car collides head-on with a barrier at a speed of 64 km/h.
- In side impact tests, the vehicle is struck on the side by a barrier at a speed of 50 km/h.
- For the pole side impact test, the car is subjected to a pole at a certain speed. If the car achieves a 3-star rating in the first two tests, the third test will be conducted.
- Assessment is made based on the damage sustained by the vehicle and dummies after the impact. The working of airbags and safety features is also considered in determining the overall safety rating.
