Transport Business

On 29 April 2009, EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) was extended to cover buses, coaches, vans, trucks, trailers and most special purpose vehicles (such as motor homes and recovery vehicles).  
    
The legislation will apply in stages between April 2009 and October 2014, depending on vehicle type.  There are a number of potential routes to approval, ranging from full ECWVTA through less onerous national schemes like Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) and National Small Series Type Approval (NSSTA). Importers, manufactures and converters of the vehicle types mentioned above will be affected, as will those who buy and sell such vehicles.  In view of this is it is essential that those involved understand the implications of the change and where they can go to get help.
    
Campaign
Over the last few years, VCA has supported an ongoing communications campaign to provide the information needed by industry and this will continue. Other transport agencies such as the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland have also been involved in the campaign and hopefully many readers will have been touched by this process already.  
    
Core message
The core message has been the importance of engaging with this change as early as possible to avoid the implications of arriving at your application date without the appropriate approval. This message remains unchanged now that the legislation is in force and the agencies mentioned above are all on hand to support you through this.  
    
One of the key benefits of the change in legislation is that it makes the certification process much more straightforward for those exporting products to Europe; no need to obtain certification to a myriad of national standards.  Early adopters will be able to take advantage of this as soon as they obtain ECWVTA. Even if you are intending to look at the available national schemes as an alternative to ECWVTA, there is a lot to be said for making early preparations.
    
The available certification options are explained in brief here but more information is available from any of the contact points shown. In addition to information contained on the various websites, the agencies involved are looking to provide advice in a number of other ways, such as attendance of trade shows, running workshops and seminars (either independently on in conjunction with trade associations) and articles in the trade press.

Approval routes

• European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) – This route to approval is aimed at volume manufacturers/importers and those wishing to export product to Europe without further testing. For more information contact VCA.
• National Small Series Type Approval (NSSTA) - This approval route is aimed at vehicles manufactured in limited numbers and acceptance is only guaranteed in the Member State where the certification was issued. There are limitations on numbers (75, 250 or 500 per type per year depending on the kind of vehicle). For more information contact VCA.
• Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) – Aimed at one-off vehicles or those manufactured in very limited numbers acceptance is again only guaranteed in the Member State where the certification was issued. For more information contact VOSA.
  

For more information
For further information and to keep up to date with developments regarding ECWVTA, visit your trade association or the following Government websites:
DfT – Directive and policy information - www.dft.gov.uk/typeapproval
VCA – Type Approval services - www.vca.gov.uk
DVLA – Vehicle registration - www.dvla.gov.uk
DVA – Services in Northern Ireland Vehicle registration and Individual Vehicle Approval - www.dvani.gov.uk
VOSA – Individual Vehicle Approval services – www.transportoffice.gov.uk