Are you an owner or considering purchasing a light truck for your transportation business? Understanding the lifespan of a light truck is crucial. It’s not just a legal regulation but also directly impacts your business rights and operations. So, what is the lifespan of a light truck? What are the current regulations and how is it calculated? Let’s explore the details with My Dinh Trucks in the article below.
Understanding the Lifespan of Light Trucks
To understand the lifespan of light trucks, we first need to grasp the basic concept. According to current legal documents, specifically Article 3 of Decree 95/2009/ND-CP, the lifespan of a motor vehicle is defined as:
“The permitted period of use for a motor vehicle.”
In which, a truck (or cargo vehicle) is understood as:
“A motor vehicle structurally and primarily equipped for transporting goods.”
Circular 21/2010/TT-BGTVT further clarifies the types of trucks, including: open-body trucks (with or without tarpaulin), closed-body trucks, dump trucks, crane trucks, trucks with lifting equipment, insulated trucks, refrigerated trucks, pick-up trucks for goods (single cab, double cab), and VAN trucks.
Thus, the lifespan of a light truck is the period that the law allows a light truck to operate and circulate on the road. After this lifespan expires, the vehicle is no longer permitted to participate in traffic.
Illustration of light truck lifespan regulations, emphasizing the importance of compliance for safety and legal operation.
Current Regulations on Light Truck Lifespan
So, what is the lifespan of a light truck? Article 4 of Decree 95/2009/ND-CP clearly stipulates this matter:
“1. Not exceeding 25 years for cargo vehicles.”
Therefore, according to current regulations, the lifespan of a light truck is 25 years. This means that after 25 years from the year of manufacture, your light truck will reach the end of its lifespan and will not be allowed to continue operating.
How to Determine the Lifespan of a Light Truck
To accurately determine the lifespan of a light truck, you need to refer to Article 7 of Circular 21/2010/TT-BGTVT. This Circular provides detailed guidance on how to determine the year of manufacture of the vehicle, which is the key factor in calculating lifespan. The determination of the year of manufacture is prioritized in the following order:
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): This is the top priority method. The VIN is a unique sequence identifying the vehicle, often containing information about the year of manufacture.
- Chassis number: If the year cannot be determined via the VIN, the chassis number is the next source of information.
- Vehicle technical documents: Catalogs, technical specification manuals, identification software, or information from the manufacturer are also important references.
- Manufacturer’s labels: Information on labels attached or stamped on the vehicle also provides data on the year of manufacture.
- Archived records: Documents such as quality certificates, factory quality inspection certificates (for domestically manufactured vehicles), inspection or acceptance records, certificates of road motor vehicle modification quality (for modified vehicles), original records managed by the police authority, and import documents are also sources for verifying the year of manufacture.
Important Note: If your light truck does not have at least one of the above documents, records, or bases to determine the year of manufacture, the vehicle will be considered to have expired its lifespan. This emphasizes the importance of keeping complete vehicle documents to ensure your rights.
Time of Lifespan Calculation for Light Trucks
According to Article 5 of Decree 95/2009/ND-CP, the starting point for calculating the lifespan of a light truck is regulated as follows:
“1. The lifespan of a motor vehicle is calculated starting from the year of manufacture of the vehicle.”
Thus, the lifespan of a light truck is calculated from the year of manufacture, not from the year of registration or the year of purchase. This means that even if you buy a used light truck that is a few years old, the lifespan is still calculated from the vehicle’s original year of manufacture.
Special Case: In some special cases, permitted by the Prime Minister, the lifespan may be calculated from the year of first registration of the motor vehicle. However, this is a very rare and uncommon case.
Conclusion
Understanding the regulations on the lifespan of light trucks is both a responsibility and a right for every vehicle owner. Compliance with the lifespan not only helps you avoid legal violations but also ensures traffic safety and efficient transportation business operations. My Dinh Trucks hopes this article has provided useful information to help you better understand the lifespan of light trucks and related regulations. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us for detailed advice!
