Annual tests for commercial vehicles are being tightened up to ensure trucks have an exhaust filter if one had originally been fitted as standard, according to a new statement from the government.
Roads minister Robert Goodwill said garages and testing stations will be required check for a diesel particulate filter (DPF) in the inspection of the exhaust system as part of a heavy vehicle’s annual test from February 2014. The vehicle will fail the test if the filter had been fitted as standard, but is found to be no longer present.
The government stressed it is an offence to drive a vehicle that has had its DPF removed, as it will no longer meet the emissions standards the truck achieved when it was approved for sale in the UK.
“I am very concerned vehicles are being modified in a way that is clearly detrimental to people’s health and undoes the hard work manufacturers have taken to improve emissions standards,” Goodwill said.
“We had to intervene to clarify the position on particulate filter removal given the unacceptable negative impact on air quality.”
