DTI Calls for Public Consultation on Guidelines for Motor Vehicle Inspection & Maintenance Program

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has scheduled for tomorrow, July 31, a public consultation/hearing for the procedural guidelines for the planned National Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenace Program (NMVIMP) drafted jointly by the agency together with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

To be held at the Land Transportation Office's (LTO) Bulwagan on East Avenue in Quezon City from 8:30 to 11:30 AM, the hearing will discuss the program's directive that ensures the compliance of motor vehicles "to the existing  mandatory regulations and standards for vehicle safety and emissions to create a safer and cleaner society by ensuring only efficient, safe, clean and comfortable vehicles running on the roads and highways."

Based on the current draft, the minimum technical requirements sought by the agencies for a private motor vehicle inspection center (MVIC) are:

1. Type I - 20-sqm bay for a bike lift;
2. Type II - 5x8-m inspection bay with equipment;
3. Type III - 6x15-m visual inspection bay with pit or lifter; and
4. Type IV - 6x20-m inspection bay for trailers.

Expected to man the bays are one TESDA-certified (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) inspector and one TESDA-certified technician.

As for the test equipment, all public and private MVICs are expected to have at least the following as a minimum:

For light vehicles:

1. Headlight Tester
2. Roller/Plate Brake Tester
3. Sideslip Tester
4. Speedometer Tester
5. Emission Tester
6. Diesel Smoke Tester
7. Bar Code Scanner
8. Suspension tester
9. Axle Play Detector (Joint Play Tester)
10. Sound Level Meter (Sonometer)
11. Smoke Extraction System (Diesel Fed MVs)
12. Process Indicators

For motorcycles:

1. Headlight Tester
2. Roller/Plate Brake Tester
3. Emission Tester
4. Bar Code Scanner
5. Sound Level Meter (Sonometer)
6. Process Indicators
7. Speedometer Tester

Lastly, all MVICs are expected to have "adequate security and parking area."

As for vehicle owners, prior to the renewal of a vehicle's registration, it "shall undergo (a) mandatory inspection process" either by the LTO or any authorized private MVIC "within sixty (60) days," save for public utility vehicles (PUVs) which "shall be inspected by the LTO."

As per usual, vehicle owners are expected to prepare and submit the necessary documentary requirements for inspection, which the MVIC evaluator shall check and validate.

After conducting the inspection, a Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR)--which is valid for only 60 days from the date of its issuance-- will be generated through the Inspection Evaluation System which shall then be certified by the authorized inspector and electronically transmitted to the LTO, with the vehicle owner being given a copy of the results.

If a vehicle passes the inspection, the vehicle owner may proceed to the LTO District or Extension Office to facilitate the renewal of the vehicle's registration. But if a vehicle fails the inspection, it must be repaired by "a DTI-accredited service and repair shop."  The vehicle owner must then return to the LTO or any authorized private MVIC to have its failed points inspected again "until the subject motor vehicle passes the mandatory inspection."

So, if you think you have some issues about the proposed program that needs to be discussed with the concerned agencies, you know where you need to go tomorrow morning.