AC mandate for truck cabins likely for select vehicles

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued a draft notification mandating the installation of air-conditioning systems in the cabins of trucks belonging to categories N2 and N3, manufactured from 1 January 2025 onwards.

“Provided further that vehicles manufactured on or after 1st January 2025 shall be fitted with an air conditioning system for cabin of vehicles of N2 and N3 category. The testing of the cabin fitted with air-conditioning system shall be as per IS14618:2022, as amended from time to time," stated the draft notification.

Category N2: A motor vehicles used for carriage of goods and having a Gross vehicle Weight exceeding 3.5 tons but not exceeding 12 tons.

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Category N3: A motor vehicles used for carriage of goods and having a Gross vehicle Weight exceeding 12 tons.

Last week Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the draft notification to mandate the installation of air-conditioning systems in the cabins of trucks has been approved.

The road transport ministry had first proposed the move in 2016.

According to an estimate, the additional expenditure for providing AC cabins in trucks would cost in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 per truck.

While high-end trucks manufactured by global players such as Volvo and Scania already come with air conditioned cabins, most Indian players are yet to graduate despite a debate on the issue for several years.

Earlier, Gadkari said truck drivers play a crucial role in ensuring road safety. This decision marks a significant milestone in providing comfortable working conditions for truck drivers, thereby improving their efficiency and addressing the problem of driver fatigue, he said.

Lamenting that truck drivers have been forced to work in extreme heat conditions, the minister had said that he has been pushing for air-conditioned cabins for truck drivers for a long time even as "some people objected to it saying it will increase costs."