Multiple departments jointly issued opinions on further optimizing the supervision of motor vehicles

  Strictly prevent testing agencies from "assisting" vehicles with excessive emissions to "disease" on the road

  Core Reading

  There are many related links and departments involved in motor vehicle environmental management. All departments need to perform their duties, cooperate closely, and work together to promote the healthy and orderly development of the industry. All relevant departments should establish and improve working mechanisms such as law enforcement linkage, case transfer, source traceability, and unify case characterization, case jurisdiction and evidence specifications. For cases of illegal interest chains such as production, sales, and use of cheating software and hardware, destroying and tampering with vehicle pollution control devices, strengthen cross-regional cooperation, increase joint punishment, and deepen the two-way connection between executions.

  Strengthening the control of motor vehicle exhaust pollution and further optimizing the environmental supervision of motor vehicles can be regarded as an important focus for my country to promote the continuous improvement of environmental air quality in the near future.

  Recently, many consecutive major actions have been related to this.

  The Ministry of Ecology and Environment, in conjunction with the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Commerce, the State Administration for Market Regulation and other departments, issued the "Opinions on Further Optimizing the Supervision of Motor Vehicle Environmentally" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"); the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, in conjunction with the above-mentioned departments, held a work meeting on motor vehicle environmental supervision to summarize the progress of special rectification work of third-party institutions in the field of motor vehicle emission inspection, and promote the implementation of motor vehicle environmental supervision work; many places exposed related cases such as being punished for issuing false motor vehicle emission inspection reports...

  Turn a blind eye to black smoke emission

  Penalty for issuing false reports

  The reporter learned from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment that third-party institutions abide by the law and meet the standards of heavy trucks are the key points in comprehensively improving the quality and efficiency of motor vehicle environmental supervision.

  When a heavy-duty diesel vehicle was inspected, it emitted obvious smoke (black smoke), but the vehicle received the inspection (test) report for emissions qualified by the Vehicle Inspection Co., Ltd. This company was recently punished by the Ningbo Ecological Environment Bureau of Zhejiang Province in accordance with the law for issuing a false report.

  The problem was discovered, which originated from a on-site inspection by Ningbo Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau. By carefully reviewing and comparing the surveillance video of the vehicle inspection report and the inspection process, law enforcement officers discovered the above "trick". According to Article 8.2.2 of the "Diesel Vehicle Pollutant Emission Limit and Measurement Method (Free Acceleration Method and Loading Deceleration Method)" (GB3847-2018), if the vehicle emissions are obviously visible smoke or the smoke value exceeds Ringman Level 1, it is determined that the emission inspection is unqualified. And the company obviously violated this rule.

  In the end, the Ningbo Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau issued an "Administrative Penalty Decision" to the company, deciding to impose a fine of RMB 152,000 and confiscate the illegal income of RMB 180.

  Also recently, three motor vehicle testing companies in Minhang District, Shanghai were also exposed to have been punished. Three motor vehicle testing companies including Shanghai Dafeng Motor Vehicle Inspection Co., Ltd. have violated regulations such as "issuing qualified inspection reports for vehicles that produce black smoke" and "unauthorized reduction of inspection standards". There are more than 10 vehicles involved in false reports. One of the companies actually issued false reports on 41 motor vehicles, and the circumstances are very serious.

  In view of the illegal behavior of these motor vehicle testing companies meeting the criteria for determining serious circumstances, Shanghai Dafeng Motor Vehicle Testing Co., Ltd. has been disqualified from the inspection. The Minhang District Market Supervision Bureau will impose administrative penalties on the remaining two companies to cancel their inspection qualifications in accordance with the law and report them to the Shanghai Market Supervision Bureau for subsequent processing. In addition, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment imposed administrative penalties on the illegal acts of Shanghai Dafeng Motor Vehicle Inspection Co., Ltd., confiscated 2,065 yuan of illegal income and fined 332,000 yuan.

  The Tianjin Municipal Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Corps recently cooperated with public security, procuratorial and judicial departments to successfully crack the first criminal case in the city where a motor vehicle testing agency suspected of using cheating devices to commit fraud. When law enforcement officers found that a local vehicle inspection agency conducted vehicle inspections on different vehicles of multiple models, they issued multiple inspection reports containing the same engine control unit software calibration identification code (CALID) and vehicle identification code (VIN). After repeatedly confirming that the vehicle inspection agency was using a cheat, they conducted a surprise inspection on it. One set of cheaters was seized on the spot and four suspects were locked in. At present, the public security department has filed a criminal case against this. The inspection qualifications of this car inspection agency will be cancelled in accordance with the law.

  Highlight the full-chain supervision

  Strict entry and exit management

  The exposure of these cases demonstrates the zero-tolerance attitude of the ecological environment department towards illegal behaviors in the motor vehicle testing industry, and also reminds all testing institutions to strictly abide by laws and regulations to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of the testing data. Third-party institutions abide by the law is also a major focus of optimizing the supervision of motor vehicles at present.

  The motor vehicle work supervision meeting held recently required that all regions and departments during the special rectification period, investigate and deal with fraud and illegal issues in accordance with the law, maintain a fair and orderly market environment, effectively assist pollution and emission reduction, and play an important role in improving air quality. In accordance with the requirements of the "Opinions", we will focus on third-party institutions' law-abiding and heavy truck compliance, and comprehensively improve the quality and efficiency of motor vehicle environmental supervision. Focus on the inspection and maintenance links, consolidate the results of special rectification, strictly implement daily supervision and entry and exit management, and strengthen inspection and maintenance linkage.

  Motor vehicle testing institutions are an important "stage" for air pollution prevention and control. In recent years, in some places, vehicles with excessive exhaust emissions have been "diseased" on the road with the "assistance" of testing agencies. As of the end of 2024, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and six other departments jointly carried out special rectification actions for third-party institutions in the field of motor vehicle emission inspection, inspecting a total of 8,916 automobile emission performance maintenance institutions and 2,185 problem institutions were found, accounting for 25%. In addition to tampering with the detection instrument, some testing institutions also use other vehicles and even other gases instead of testing, and the methods of counterfeiting of motor vehicle testing are constantly being upgraded.

  An industry insider said that the cost of a single inspection of a motor vehicle usually ranges from 100 to 200 yuan. Illegal testing institutions make vehicles that fail to meet the standards "qualify with one click" and quickly "pass" the test, thus obtaining illegal benefits.

  This "Opinion" emphasizes the full-chain supervision of motor vehicle emission inspection agencies. A relevant person in charge of the Ecological Environment Law Enforcement Bureau of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment introduced that the "Opinions" strictly manage the access links for motor vehicle emission inspection agencies, require the unified adoption of general procedures for qualification certification of inspection and testing agencies, and add software, hardware and environmental protection review requirements. Strict daily supervision and management, focusing on three types of situations such as issuing false reports, issuing false reports, and irregular inspections, focusing on checking fraud problems such as artificial interference in the sampling process, unauthorized relaxation of inspection methods, use of cheating software or hardware, forging or tampering with inspection data, and replacing vehicles and gas inspections. For institutions that are subjectively and intentionally violate the law, they will be dealt with seriously in accordance with the law and regulations, and pay attention to education and guidance on management and irregular testing. Strictly withdraw from management, and the inspection qualifications of serious illegal institutions such as being held criminally responsible, being subject to two administrative penalties in two years, and falsification involving more than 10 vehicles must be cancelled in accordance with the law.

  Increase joint punishment

  Deepen the two-way connection between execution

  Heavy truck emission supervision is the top priority of motor vehicle supervision.

  Motor vehicle emissions are one of the important sources of air pollution. Data shows that the nitrogen oxide emissions of motor vehicles account for more than 34% of the total nitrogen oxide emissions in the country, of which heavy trucks account for 80% of the nitrogen oxide emissions of motor vehicles.

  The motor vehicle work supervision meeting required deepening the control of heavy truck emissions, promoting the compliant use of pollution control devices in accordance with the principle of inclusiveness and prudence, and using the "two new" policies to update old vehicles to ensure compliance with emission standards.

  The Opinion also made arrangements for this. A relevant person in charge of the Ecological Environment Law Enforcement Bureau of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said that in general, in accordance with the working idea of ​​reducing pressure and combining leniency and strictness, we must not only benefit law-abiding people, but also urge violators to make timely rectifications and achieve pollution reduction through compliance and compliance with emission standards.

  Highlight regulatory priorities. Heavy trucks will be included in the daily supervision and law enforcement inspection plan, household inspections will be carried out around large vehicle users, transportation companies, ports and terminals, logistics parks, etc., road inspections will be carried out based on existing overtime control stations, important traffic checkpoints, etc., and technical screening methods such as remote sensing monitoring and black smoke capture will be played. The focus will be on finding problems such as "three no-two reforms and one black" such as abnormal use of pollution control devices, abnormal addition of urea, abnormal operation of OBD systems, unauthorized modification of pollution control devices, unauthorized tampering with OBD, and black smoke will be exposed.

  Handle with inclusiveness and prudentness. For vehicles that have problems found, remind and urge the owner to repair and manage them in a timely manner. If the vehicle fails to correct the problem within the deadline or is repeatedly investigated, it will be included in the key management list and inform the transportation company and key vehicle use units to strengthen management. Administrative penalties shall be imposed in accordance with the law if they constitute an illegal act, but if the first violation is made and the consequences of the harm are minor and corrected in a timely manner, administrative penalties may be not imposed according to the law, and appropriate room for error tolerance and correction will be given.

  Trial differentiated management. For diesel trucks with good law-abiding conditions and stable emission standards, the inspection exemption policy will be implemented by the provincial ecological environment department to be exempted from the current launch of emission inspection.

  The person in charge said, "There are many related links and departments involved. All departments need to perform their duties, cooperate closely, and work together to promote the healthy and orderly development of the industry. All relevant departments should establish and improve working mechanisms such as law enforcement linkage, case transfer, source traceability, etc., and unify case characterization, case jurisdiction and evidence specifications. For cases such as production, sales, and use of cheating software and hardware, destroying and tampering with vehicle pollution control devices, strengthen cross-regional cooperation, increase joint punishment, and deepen the two-way connection between execution." (Reporter Zhang Wei)

[Editor in charge: Cheng Lan]