Monitoring devices must for all heavy trucks from August

Dubai: Monitoring devices will be mandatory for all brand new heavy vehicles entering Dubai roads from August this year, Gulf News can confirm.

The move comes as the Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) expands its vehicle monitoring programme, covering more heavy vehicles weighing 2.5 tonnes and above.

Launched in August last year, the programme initially required heavy trucks that are more than 20 years old to have a monitoring device installed, giving RTA eyes and ears on the connected vehicle.

Heavy vehicle drivers, who are registered, are required to scan their RFID card every time they enter or exit the vehicle. Photo: Atiq ur Rehman/Gulf News

So far around 7,000 heavy trucks are part of the remote monitoring system that helps detect mechanical faults of the trucks as well as tracking driver behaviour.

The remaining 7,000 of the 14,000 heavy trucks that are more than 20 years old will be covered in the next few months.

In the second stage of the project, which will begin in August this year, all new heavy vehicles entering the market will be pre-installed before the registration, said Moosa Al Raeisi, Director of Monitoring and Enforcement at RTA’s Licensing Agency, speaking with Gulf News.

“The system will eventually cover all the 64,000 trucks that are weighing 2.5 tonnes and above. From August, even those trucks that are less than 20 years old will have to install the tracking devices. In the event of non-compliance with the system, RTA would be obliged not to register or renew the registration of the vehicle until it is fitted with the system,” said Al Raeisi.

Vehicle monitoring centre

Gulf News got an exclusive tour of the RTA’s Vehicle Monitoring Centre (VMC) recently, having a close look at how the system works.

Located at the RTA Head Offices, the state-of-the-art VMC tracks the connected vehicles live, collecting all the data related to the operation of these vehicles before processing it to help improve road safety.

“At this stage we are only collecting the data and communicating it with the fleet operators and transport firms. This is helping the firms that are already on board to improve their operations and enhance road safety,” said Moosa Al Raeisi, giving a close look on how the system works in improving the efficiency of truck movement in the city and enhancing road safety.

At the centre, a giant screen shows all the connected trucks in their different stages of operations, which includes the total number of trucks connected, the exact location where they are parked or moving, how many hours a driver has been behind the wheels, if a driver is driving rashly or if a particular vehicle requires maintenance etc.

“The programme requires all the heavy vehicle drivers to register under the system with all their details, including the mobile number. Once registered, a driver gets an RFID card, which he has to scan every time he is entering or exiting his vehicle. If a driver moves a vehicle without scanning his card, the monitoring centre gets an alert,” added Al Raeisi.

The upgrade involves installing a device that includes the RFID scanners and driver ID cards, as well as a short training programme about the system for drivers and fleet managers. The package costs Dh1,620 per vehicle, including Dh500 annual subscription fee.

“We also have Dubai Police involved in the project and the transport operators and fleet managers also have access to the system. Once fully implemented, we will be able to intervene immediately in cases of major violations like for example if a truck is exceeding speed limit or stopping at undesignated location etc,” said Al Raeisi.

The devices can monitor the number of driving hours clocked by the vehicle daily and attitudes of heavy vehicle drivers on roads such as reckless driving, sudden braking, dangerous acceleration, over speeding, traffic accidents and driving in prohibited timing or places.

In the final stage, RTA is planning to have all the commercial vehicles connected to the system.

“There is already a law to have all the commercial vehicles monitored and we are waiting for approvals to widen the scope of the system. Eventually all the commercial vehicles will be part of the monitoring system,” said Al Raeisi.