The Ministry of Transport Order No. 166: Practical Shifts in Maintenance Point Requirements
The Ministry of Transport’s Order No. 166, issued earlier this year, took effect on June 12. The document signals a clear change in how maintenance points are equipped, aiming to reduce costs for operators and encourage expansion of the service network. As a result, the upfront and ongoing expenses for purchasing and maintaining equipment at maintenance locations are expected to fall, paving the way for more service points to come online across Russia and adjacent markets that observe similar regulatory patterns. In the Canadian and U.S. context, this kind of regulatory relaxation often prompts additional scrutiny from insurers and safety authorities, who weigh the balance between cost savings and the reliability of vehicle inspections. This broader viewpoint helps stakeholders assess the overall impact on road safety and consumer protection while anticipating how supply chains and service availability may respond.
Under accreditation procedures, the Russian Union of Motor Insurers has broadened its focus. Ventilation and heating systems at maintenance points are no longer required to undergo the same level of scrutiny, and the mandatory presence of compressors, sound level meters, and pressure gauges is no longer a strict prerequisite in every case. A deep inspection well is no longer required to hit a fixed depth for accreditation purposes; a depth of 1.1 meters now suffices in many instances. The selection of brake testers has also become more flexible, according to reporting from Kommersant. This shift reduces the operational burden on centers and may shorten the time needed to certify new inspection sites. In the context of national information systems, it is no longer mandatory to enter the addresses of technical inspection points into the Federal Information Address System, as the basis for accreditation aligns differently from Rosreestr. This alignment creates a potential misalignment in how some points interact with other registries, which operators will need to monitor as they expand their networks.
At present, Rosreestr maintains a database listing more than three thousand inspection points. With the new order, there is a realistic expectation that the number of accredited sites could nearly double in the coming months, widening access to inspection services across the country. That expansion has implications for service coverage, customer wait times, and regional regulatory oversight. For operators, the prospect of more points means more flexibility to schedule inspections and manage fleets, which can translate into improved uptime and reduced downtime costs. For regulators, it raises important questions about consistency of standards, data accuracy, and cross-agency coordination to ensure that new points meet safety requirements while still delivering accessible service.
- Earned a cancellation bonus for a new vehicle inspection.
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