To promote safer driving practices, the Road Transport Ministry has outlined an exciting set of new guidelines. Effective October 1, 2026, haulage tractors will need to be fitted with cutting edge Vehicle Location Tracking Devices that leverage RFID for seamless trailer connectivity.
With an aim to enhance safety, the ministry of road transport and highways has proposed to make it mandatory for all haulage tractors to be equipped with Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTD) with effect from October 1, 2026.
The ministry in a draft notification to further amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, said the VLTD shall be integrated with an RFID transceiver, capable of reading radio frequency identification data from the coupled trailer and transmitting it to the backend.
"On or after 1st October, 2026, all haulage tractors shall be equipped with Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTD) compliant with AIS-140," it said.
The notification further said all trailers shall be fitted with passive RFID tags in accordance with IS 16722:2018 to enable electronic identification and pairing with tractors "On or after 1st April, 2027, all haulage tractors shall be equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR) to capture and store critical vehicle data," it said.
According to the notification, the EDR shall be capable of recording parameters necessary for analysing operational events and enhancing safety monitoring. The ministry has given stakeholders 30 days time to comment on the
draft.