The regulations regarding whether pickup trucks are banned from carrying loads are a concern for many vehicle owners and businesses. Especially with recent changes in traffic laws, understanding these regulations is crucial to avoid unnecessary issues when driving, particularly in major cities. This article from Xe Tải Mỹ Đình experts will clarify this issue for you.
According to the latest regulations effective from July 1, 2020, some pickup trucks and vans with a payload capacity of 950 kg or more will be considered trucks. This means they must comply with the regulations regarding restricted operating hours in the inner city areas of major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Illustration of regulations considering pickup trucks as trucks from July 1st based on new weight regulations.
Identifying Banned Pickup Trucks: Difficulties for Both Traffic Police and Owners
This new regulation creates difficulties in classifying vehicles, even for traffic police. In reality, it is difficult to distinguish with the naked eye between a pickup truck considered a passenger car and a pickup truck considered a truck. The same car model, even the same design, but differences in technical specifications, especially the permissible payload capacity, determine whether the vehicle is banned from carrying loads.
A prime example is the Ford Ranger. The XLS version manufactured in 2015 in Thailand has a permissible payload of 957 kg, exceeding the 950 kg threshold and is considered a truck. However, the XLS version manufactured in 2016 of the same model has a payload of only 827 kg, considered a passenger car and not subject to load restrictions. Even the Ford Ranger XLS 2013 version has a payload of up to 991 kg, also subject to pickup truck load restrictions in the inner city.
Ford Ranger pickup truck potentially banned in the city due to new regulations, example of a Ford Ranger.
Vans and Small Trucks: Shifting Advantages
While pickup trucks face many disadvantages from the new regulations, small van models such as the KIA Morning Van, Chevrolet Spark Van, or larger ones like the Hyundai Grand Starex (3 or 6 seats) mostly have a permissible payload below 950 kg. Therefore, they are still considered passenger cars and are not banned from entering the city. This inadvertently creates an unexpected competitive advantage for small truck models from Suzuki such as the Carry, Window Van, Blind Van.
Conversely, the 1.25-ton light truck segment and above will no longer be favored as before. Models such as JAC (1.29 and 1.49 tons), Thaco KIA, Hyundai Porter, or VEAM VPT950… will be officially banned from entering the city during restricted hours, losing the advantage of “free” traffic like passenger cars in the city.
Conclusion
The regulation regarding whether pickup trucks are banned from carrying loads has created many changes and significantly impacted the use of pickup trucks in Vietnam, especially in major cities. Vehicle owners need to understand the information and carefully check the technical specifications of their vehicles to comply with the law and avoid traffic violations. At the same time, this change also opens up new opportunities and challenges for other vehicle segments in the market.
