Hello, dear friends! I read the comments of some of our users, looked at other automobile forums and realized that the same question arises among trailer owners with enviable regularity. I'm talking about whether a trailer needs an inspection.
This problem is of interest not only to Russians, but is also being raised in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, etc.
Today we’ll talk specifically about Russia and the current legislation relating to car trailers. Let's look at the issue in more detail and draw the right conclusions.
Ready? Then let's go!
Basic concepts about technical inspection
Regular vehicle inspection is a mandatory requirement. Without a diagnostic card confirming the satisfactory condition of the vehicle, it is impossible to obtain compulsory motor liability insurance. Road safety, in addition to its direct participants, is ensured by the state, and technical inspection is one of the ways to do this, hence the strictness of the requirements.
You can confirm the serviceability of the product at the traffic police, at an official vehicle dealer or through an accredited technical service. Specialists examine the main vehicle systems - brakes, lighting, engine, exhaust gas production and other key parts and components.
Attention! An additional advantage for owners is that a timely car inspection helps prevent breakdowns (detect a problem at an early stage and fix it).
The frequency of inspections is set individually for each type of product. Much depends on the age and type of vehicle. For example, motorcycles older than seven years are required to undergo maintenance annually.
Who conducts technical inspections
Technical inspections are carried out by accredited technical inspection operators and dealerships.
Dealership centers have the right to refuse a car owner a technical inspection without giving reasons. Other maintenance operators do not have the right to do this.
During the inspection, the compliance of the presented vehicle with the passport data is established, the vehicle is inspected and checked using technical diagnostic tools.
After technical diagnostics, a diagnostic card is issued with information about the vehicle’s compliance with safety requirements.
Important! If the diagnostic card contains a conclusion about the vehicle’s non-compliance, a repeat technical inspection is carried out after all the comments have been eliminated. If it is carried out no later than 20 days after the previous inspection, only those indicators of the vehicle are checked for which a conclusion on non-compliance was given.
Is a technical inspection required for car trailers?
The rules for conducting such inspections have changed since 2012. Some drivers and owners still doubt whether a trailer inspection is required for cars and trucks. Article 15 of the Federal Law “On Technical Inspection” stipulates the need and frequency of the procedure for each type of vehicle.
New mechanisms whose service life is less than three years are not subject to mandatory inspection. This is the same for all types of equipment, regardless of the legal status of the owner. In 2021, the rules regarding whether a truck trailer requires an inspection have not changed.
Passenger vehicle
Since 2012, the state has established some relaxations for such cars. Trailers and semi-trailers for such vehicles do not pass the established serviceability and performance tests in the following cases:
- owner is an individual;
- maximum permissible weight less than 3.5 tons.
Citizens have the right to independently inspect the technical condition of trailers under general conditions. Specialists cannot refuse to examine and issue a diagnostic card. But this remains the owner’s right, and not his responsibility.
Attention! If in doubt whether a passenger trailer needs a technical inspection, it is better for a citizen to contact the traffic police department and obtain information regarding a specific case. Failure to comply with maintenance requirements will result in a fine.
Truck
There are different requirements for trailers attached to vehicles transporting goods. And although individuals with equipment weighing up to 3.5 tons remain exempt from undergoing maintenance, there are some exceptions. Inspection is necessary when:
- mechanisms are designed for transporting hazardous substances and equipment;
- owner is a legal entity;
- permitted weight is more than three tons, five hundred kilograms.
Owners of trailers for trucks (including tractors) need to carefully study the technical characteristics of the device. The absence of a diagnostic card will result in sanctions.
Documents, places for maintenance and other points
There are a few additional questions that may be of interest to you as a business or RV owner.
see also
Kupava trailers: brief overview, characteristics, price, reviews
Let's look at them separately so that you understand how to act and what nuances you should be aware of.
List of required documents
According to the legislation that is in force on the territory of the Russian Federation, to undergo maintenance you are only required to:
- identification document;
- power of attorney (if needed);
- STS or passport for a caravan.
If they demand anything else from you, then these people are simply breaking the law. They have no right to demand any other documents.
Maintenance location
The owner of a towed vehicle, which is subject to mandatory technical inspection, can choose where exactly this procedure will be carried out.
Some believe that this should only be done at the place of registration of the vehicle. This is wrong.
In addition, if you look at the new forms, you will see that the regional code is no longer there.
Features of trailer maintenance for legal entities
Legal entities that own additional equipment for a vehicle are required to submit it for technical inspection in accordance with legal requirements. The list of documents is supplemented by a power of attorney from the organization for the right to carry out actions with the trailer (including undergoing inspection).
Check times:
- up to 3 years – not necessary;
- from 3 to 7 – once every 24 months;
- over 7 – every year.
Attention! Responsible persons must know whether a cargo or passenger trailer needs inspection and send the equipment for inspection in a timely manner. Violation of deadlines or absence of a diagnostic card will result in a fine being imposed on the legal entity.
What do you need from the documents?
In order to successfully carry out a technical inspection of a trailer, car owners must show up at the appropriate destination with:
- a Russian passport belonging to the car owner of a car with a trailer;
- registration certificate;
- a completed trailer inspection application;
- power of attorney to drive a trailer (if necessary).
The same rules apply to cargo trailers as to passenger vehicles.
You can register to register a vehicle with a trailer:
- by contacting the nearest traffic police department, where official registration actions can be carried out;
- by phone number in your own region;
- using online services.
Service cost
Applying for maintenance involves signing an agreement with the selected company and paying for the actions performed. The average values for a car or truck trailer inspection are as follows:
| Category | Weight, kg | Amount, rub |
| 1 | up to 750 | 600 |
| 2 | 750 – 3 500 | |
| 3 | 3 500 – 10 000 | 1050 |
| 4 | over 10,000 |
Prices may vary depending on the region of the Russian Federation. For example, traditionally in Moscow and the Moscow region the cost is higher.
What the law says
On June 15, 2011, the State Duma adopted, and on January 1, 2012, Federal Law No. 170 came into force. It spells out new rules and features of passing technical inspection for vehicles in the Russian Federation.
Everything related to insurance issues related to trailers is stipulated in the law on compulsory motor liability insurance.
On June 15, 2011, the State Duma adopted, and on January 1, 2012, Federal Law No. 170 came into force. It spells out new rules and features of passing technical inspection for vehicles in the Russian Federation.
We invite you to read: Medical insurance: the essence, purpose and types of medical insurance in the Russian Federation
Penalty for not having a trailer maintenance card
Individuals who own equipment weighing up to 3.5 tons are exempt from the need to undergo technical inspection. There are no fines or other sanctions for them. If the weight exceeds the specified one and there is no diagnostic card, you will have to pay from 500 to 800 rubles, for a repeated violation - up to 5,000.
For legal entities amounts
much higher. Sanctions are imposed on officials whose labor instructions indicate responsibility for the technical condition of equipment and its operation (they are required to know whether a technical inspection is required for a trusted trailer), as well as on the company.
Employees are fined 500 rubles, the owner organization 50,000. It is necessary to remember additional penalties in case of late payment. The provisions are enshrined in Article 12.31 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.
The state strives to balance the stringency of maintenance requirements. Changes in legislation confirm the introduction of significant relaxations for individuals. You can avoid the imposition of sanctions and problems with the use of additional equipment if, when purchasing, you clarify whether a technical inspection of a particular trailer is required or not (preferably in the traffic police department).
Is it necessary in 2021
Trailers owned by private owners have been exempt from the need to undergo maintenance since the beginning of 2012. However, this only applies to trailers weighing up to 3,500 kg.
If the weight of the vehicle (VV) exceeds this mark, then it must undergo technical inspection.
Trailers that are on the books of legal entities are also subject to mandatory inspection, but only if the vehicle is more than 3 years old.
Based on the above, there is no fine for lack of technical inspection in 2018 for private trailers. By the way, many drivers are surprised why a similar law for vehicles was not adopted earlier.
Essentially, a trailer is a piece of metal and plastic on two wheels that cannot move on its own. And by and large, there is nothing to inspect there, especially since the trailer belongs to a private owner, who a priori maintains it in good condition.
What is the insurance period
You can insure a trailer for any period divisible by a quarter. If it will only be used for one season, then there is no point in spending the extra money. You can apply for a policy:
- for 3 months;
- for half a year;
- for 9 months;
- for a year.
The minimum insurance period for citizens is 3 months, and for enterprises – six months. The maximum cannot exceed one calendar year. The shorter the period of use of the vehicle, the shorter the insurance period, the cheaper the service.
How to pass inspection for trailers weighing more than 3.5 tons
- passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
- a photocopy of a document from a legal entity stating that you personally are the driver of this vehicle;
- driver's passport issued to the organization;
- documents for the tractor-trailer;
- driver's license with the required category;
- certificate of inspection of the technical condition of the trailer, which is issued within 45 days after the maintenance;
- medical certificate for the driver of a car with a trailer;
- an insurance policy issued to the owner of a towing vehicle.
- driver's civil passport;
- vehicle passport (PTS);
- receipts for payment of fees to the state (for the issuance of state registration plates, for the issuance of a registration certificate and, if necessary, for the replacement of PTS);
- trailer purchase/sale agreement;
- statement;
- MTPL policy (in the case of a trailer for an individual, no policy is required).
- The owner of the trailer, no later than 10 days after its purchase, is obliged to contact the traffic police department with the package of documents adopted by law, which is described in the paragraph above.
- After submitting an application and a package of documents, traffic police officers carry out a procedure for checking them and the trailer itself.
Before going for a technical inspection, you must check whether the brake lights, turn signals and vehicle license plate lights are working, as well as make sure that the electrical wiring is in working condition and take care of the cleanliness of the trailer.
For convenience, the date for the trailer inspection is usually set at the same time as the vehicle inspection date.
The law stipulates that a trailer must be registered within 10 days after its purchase.
A trailer weighing up to 3.5 tons of an individual’s passenger car can be immediately registered, but in all other options, at the first stage it is necessary to undergo a technical inspection and buy compulsory motor liability insurance.
When purchasing a trailer, you should make sure that all documents necessary for registration are present and correctly filled out, which indicate: trailer brand, identification number, release date, weight, terms of purchase, etc.
When registering a trailer, like other vehicles, you will need to provide some documents to the traffic police.
You can find the inspection deadlines for a new car here.
Passage rules
Although trailers are not self-propelled vehicles, nevertheless, certain rules have been developed for them to pass technical inspection.
Homemade trailers are often found on Russian roads. However, there is no clearly defined procedure for them to undergo maintenance and registration.
Typically, vehicle registration is based on official documents, but no one issues official documents for homemade trailers.
Therefore, there is simply no real and legal possibility to register a homemade trailer in the same manner as a factory-made trailer.
Naturally, there is also no fine for the lack of technical inspection in 2021 for owners of homemade trailers.
If the inspection result is positive and no violations or inconsistencies are found, the owner of the trailer receives documents and numbers.
Before maintenance, it would be useful to inspect the license plate lighting, the functionality of the turn signals, the serviceability of the electrical wiring and its external cleanliness.
Frequency of technical inspections for trailers registered to legal entities or weighing over 3500 kilograms:
- New vehicle - first 3 years not required.
- Vehicles manufactured from 3 to 7 years - once every 2 years.
- Vehicles older than 7 years must be tested once a year.
Important! The deadlines for completion are indicated, including the year in which the vehicle was issued. For example, for a trailer manufactured in 2012, maintenance must be completed in 2015.
