Clearing the air over engine remapping

Safety on our roads is the NHVR’s number one priority.

It leads our decisions and reinforces our actions.

Over the past 12 months, the NHVR has conducted several investigations and prosecutions of owners and operators caught undertaking illegal engine remapping.

I am pleased to say that by and large, we are an industry that delivers on safety, productivity and efficiency in the right way – but occasionally we see a trend like engine remapping, which needs to be addressed.

Engine remapping is illegal and in breach of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL). It is also a direct threat to driver and public safety and the environment, particularly when it comes to harmful pollution.

The NHVR is embarking on a safety campaign focused on the importance of owners and operators running a heavy vehicle with a compliant engine—not one that has been remapped.

Research tells us that remapped engines can release up to 60 times more pollutants into the atmosphere*.

When you think about the close to half a million heavy vehicles on Australian roads at any given time, we all have a genuine and significant role to play in ensuring heavy vehicles are as clean, efficient and as technology driven as possible – ultimately delivering greater use and productivity of heavy vehicles into the future.

Since 2010, all new trucks sold in Australia must meet Euro 5 Vehicle Emission Standards.

The mandate was an important development then and it remains so now – but more can be done to deliver cleaner heavy vehicles on our roads in the future.

Just a few years after the Emission Standards came into law, another law was developed – the HVNL. A decade on and both laws are being reviewed by Government and industry to meet future growth in business and supply chains requirements across Australia.

The NHVR is committed to improving these laws and working collaboratively with stakeholders to deliver safe and productive vehicles and supply chains of the future.

Ensuring that all engines are compliant with current regulations (or better) is a significant measure in achieving this commitment and as part of delivering a productive and sustainable heavy vehicle industry.

Ultimately, this is about all of us taking ownership for our actions. My message to those that do the wrong thing is simple – you are risking your livelihood and health.

As part of our engine remapping campaign, we will continue to work collaboratively with industry to provide greater education on the risks of engine remapping and the benefits of increased technology within heavy vehicles.

We will also continue to investigate owners and operators that may be in breach of the HVNL, particularly when it comes to safety.

As a regulator, we can control safety to an extent, but collectively, we can make a positive impact on our vehicles and our lives.

Everyone in the industry can make significant change and progress and play a part in developing a safer and cleaner environment for ourselves and generations to come.

Let’s all continue to clear the air over engine remapping and put a stop to it, once and for all.

Sal Petroccitto
CEO, NHVR

Sal Petroccitto, NHVR CEO.

*Australian Bureau of Statistics January 2017 Motor Vehicle Census

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