The corona pandemic affects many areas of life – including damage statistics from TÜV. The parcel boom, intensified by the corona pandemic, is not leaving its mark on small vans.
The TÜV finds more defects in commercial vehicles. The positive trend of the past few years with less and less damage did not continue in 2019 and 2020 according to the new commercial vehicle report published by TÜV.
The security experts see, among other things, a connection with the parcel boom, which has been intensified by the corona pandemic.
In the main inspections in 2019 and 2020, TÜV inspectors found significant or dangerous defects in almost a fifth (19.6 percent) of all commercial vehicles. In the years before that, the rate had steadily declined. “We have seen a trend reversal,” said Richard Goebelt, Head of Vehicle and Mobility at TÜV Association, the German Press Agency. “In 18 of the 20 age and weight classes shown by us, more vehicles failed the general inspection than two years ago. Unfortunately, we are moving in the wrong direction. “
Over 3.4 million commercial vehicles are registered in Germany. The majority of them – almost 2.9 million – are delivery vans and small vans up to 3.5 tons total weight. The defect rate for these vehicles was particularly high at 20.3 percent.
The connection with the Corona crisis: “Small vans are particularly used,” said Goebelt. “The corona pandemic has created a significant boom in online trading. Courier services that frequently use these vehicles regularly go to their limits, but maintenance, care and maximum payload are often treated casually. “
“As the vehicle ages, we have problems with light and oil,” said Goebelt. “We also have wear on the steering systems and the axle suspensions, and the naturally tough operation of these vehicles is also noticeable on the brake drums.”
For the new commercial vehicle report, the TÜV association evaluated around 1.95 million general inspections. There were more deficiencies not only in vans, but also in several other classes of commercial vehicles. Heavy trucks of 18 tonnes or more performed worst among the larger vehicles with a defect rate of 19.9 percent.
Vehicles with “dangerous defects” were included in the statistics for the first time. According to the commercial vehicle report, there were 10,000 vehicles that had to be brought to the workshop immediately because of worn brake discs, badly worn tires or other serious defects. A further 1,300 or so commercial vehicles were classified as “unsafe for traffic” and were therefore immediately withdrawn from traffic.
Due to the advancing mechanization of commercial vehicles, the TÜV advocates an expansion of the tests. “For us it is very important that the checking of the driver assistance systems is included in the main inspection,” said Goebelt. “In principle, the current software version should be checked. Hardware calibration is an important point, system status, glazing, sensors, the driving mode memory. Assistance systems only help to make mobility safer if they really work. “
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
