New mandatory equipment for trucks from 2024
Every brand-new truck must meet a series of new requirements to be approved. This applies to trucks and truck tractors with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3.5 tons registered in any European Union member state as of July 7, 2024.
What mandatory car equipment does the GSR package provide for?
Automatic hazard lights
Specifically, it is a system for automatically activating hazard lights during sudden braking. This is an additional safety system to draw the attention of other road users to an unusual and potentially dangerous situation on the road.
REIS system
Reversing Information System, which is a camera or sensors that inform the driver about objects behind the vehicle. Sensors or reversing cameras (regulations leave some discretion here) are supposed to reduce the number of dangerous situations when maneuvering trucks – in urban spaces, for example.
Important!
REIS does not apply only to vehicles with a GVW greater than 3.5 tons. The regulations will also apply to vehicles with N1, N2 and N3 type approvals, and therefore also to lighter delivery vehicles, including those that can be driven by drivers with B and C category licenses.
Interestingly, sensors and cameras will not be required for trailers and semi-trailers with O1, O2, O3 and O4 type approvals.
The new rules also found room for an exception. Since the regulations cover not only new constructions (vehicles first released to the market in 2024), but also brand-new copies of older models, the creators of the European law included a provision stating that if it is not possible to install a camera or reversing sensors, the relevant approval authorities (in Poland, this is the Director of Transport Technical Supervision) may allow the sale of a given vehicle without the required REIS elements.
Speeding warning system for a given section (ISA)
Intelligent Speed Assistance is a system that is supposed to inform drivers when they exceed the speed limit in effect on a given stretch by means of an audible signal. In theory, this is a good solution to remind drivers to reduce their speed, but the system is quite controversial due to its lack of precision in operation.
Drivers (not only professional drivers, since the mandatory implementation of ISA also applies to passenger cars) complain that ISA uses an unreliable traffic sign recognition system, so that it often reports speeding that is not there or, on the contrary, does not let them know when in fact the driver has exceeded the speed limit.
Common problems include:
- Reading information from road signs at exits,
- No lifting of the restriction from settlement roads,
- Recognition by the map-integrated system that the 60-mph speed limit in built-up areas, which was in effect years ago, is still in effect after 10 p.m.
Especially in the latter case, it should be remembered that today, regardless of the time of day, in a built-up area, one should travel at a speed not exceeding 50 km/h. As it stands, the ISA system still needs many changes and improvements, which could take years to implement.
Side blind spot sensor (BSIS)
The driver of a vehicle – especially a truck – must be attentive not only to objects and vehicles in front of and behind the car, but also to those on the sides, which is effectively hindered by blind spots – areas that simply cannot be seen from the cab of the vehicle. The BSIS (Blind Spot Information System) lets the driver know when an object, vehicle or pedestrian appears in the blind spot.
Starting off warning system (MOIS)
Tall vehicles, such as trucks, also limit the field of vision in front – just in front of the hood. The Moving Off Information System activates when moving off and warns the driver if it detects an obstacle in front of the hood.
Tire pressure monitoring
Because of the danger of driving on the road with insufficient tire pressure, the GSR package has made it necessary to install physical pressure sensors on new cars. This system will inform the driver as soon as it detects reduced tire pressure. All this is done to avoid the dangers of driving such a vehicle (extended braking distances, increased risk of getting into a skid, as well as the risk of a tire blowout). Moreover, low tire pressure can interfere with the operation of other safety systems in modern cars.
Important!
Tire pressure sensors from July 2024 are mandatory not only for vehicles, but also for trailers and semi-trailers – without exception.
Installation for alcohol interlocks
Every truck approved in 2024 must be equipped with an installation that allows the installation of an alcohol interlock device. This will allow employers to install breathalyzers in company vehicles to prevent drivers from starting the vehicle without passing a sobriety check.
Mandatory equipment for trucks in 2026-2029
Not all the changes were able to be implemented in 2024. Some were postponed, and some were planned from the beginning to be implemented at a later date. Work is currently underway to implement three more solutions to improve road safety – one in 2026 and two in 2029.
A system that monitors driver behavior
Starting in 2026, only trucks that are equipped with the DDAW system will be approved. This is a set of sensors that continuously analyzes the driver’s behavior and the car’s track and lane position. Depending on the complexity of the system used, it can read data collected by the camera and steering, and even monitor the driver’s eye movement and facial expressions.
The solution is to inform the driver of the vehicle’s need to stop for a rest, thereby reducing the risk of human error caused by excessive fatigue.
Three channels of information
Starting in 2029, provisions present in the GSR package will force truck manufacturers to comply with new rules for the design of vehicle cabs. This involves designing cabs in such a way as to minimize areas that are not visible from the driver’s perspective, i.e. blind spots.
The solution to this issue turns out to be, among other things, the use of a low-wall system, full glass doors and lengthening of the front overhang. The new trucks are expected to increase direct visibility, which, according to studies, has a positive effect on drivers’ reaction time can significantly reduce accidents.
Clearly, truck manufacturers are already working to develop vehicles that meet the upcoming GSR requirements. It seems that the Renault brand is leading the way, having unveiled the first vehicle adapted to the new regulations as early as 2023 – the Oxygen model is in question.
Important!
Regulations for visibility from the truck cab are already clarified. Direct visibility standards are divided into three categories – depending on the purpose of the vehicle.
- Trucks used to distribute goods in cities should have direct visibility of not less than 11.2m2,
- Construction trucks will have to demonstrate direct visibility of no less than 8m2,
- trucks intended for long-distance traffic (e.g., intercity transport) will have to feature direct visibility of at least 7m2.
Although there has been constant talk that the mandatory new cab design for trucks will take effect in 2029, new truck models will have to meet the standards as early as two years earlier – in 2027.
Black boxes in trucks
The so-called. “Black boxes,” or event recorders, have already been present in cars and vans (up to 3.5 tons) since 2024. In 2026, the obligation will extend to buses and trucks with a GVW of more than 3.5 tons.
EDR (Event Data Recorders) are devices that will record data for 10 seconds. 5 seconds before a traffic incident and 5 seconds after. With this, the services hope to make it easier to explain the causes of accidents, collisions and other dangerous traffic incidents. Under the terms of the new regulations, only emergency services, garages, vehicle manufacturers and those investigating the incident are to have access to the data from the “black boxes.”
The recorders record information on vehicle speed, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, brake system pressure, transmission mode and many other parameters.
What will the new requirements realistically change?
According to analysts, the new regulations related to the GSR package will clearly improve road safety. They are expected to reduce the number of dangerous incidents and minimize the risk of human error. According to some commentators, however, it is risky to rely on often unreliable and inaccurate electronic systems. Certainly, manufacturers, carriers and drivers will face related unforeseen difficulties as the new solutions become more widespread.
Although the requirements to implement new advanced safety systems and new mandatory equipment on trucks primarily affect manufacturers, the impact of the changes will also be felt by businesses.
Indeed, transport companies will bear a sizable portion of the cost. It is difficult to imagine a situation in which vehicles partially designed from scratch and imbued with legally required technology will not become noticeably more expensive.
Those doing business in the transportation industry will also have a lot of new responsibilities related to driver training, among other things. Training will cover the use of modern safety systems and other equipment so as to actually increase safety on the road, rather than just boasting about using a modern vehicle.
Mandatory items of equipment in a truck
Other requirements for fire extinguishers include the need to keep the safety seal intact, and to meet EN 3- 7:2004 + A1:2007.
It’s also worth remembering that while regulations don’t require you to have a reflective vest in your car, you could face a fine for not having one. How is this possible? Art. 11 para. 4a of the Traffic Law says that “a pedestrian walking on the road after dusk outside a built-up area is obliged to use reflective elements in a manner visible to other traffic participants, unless he or she is walking on a pedestrian road, a road for pedestrians and bicycles or a road for bicycles.” This means that in a situation where a truck breaks down or is involved in a collision, the driver – in order to get out of the vehicle in an undeveloped area after dark – must have a reflective vest – or other visible elements.
The full list of mandatory vehicle equipment can be found in the Announcement of the Minister of Infrastructure dated February 29, 2024 on the announcement of the consolidated text of the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure on technical conditions of vehicles and the scope of their necessary equipment.
