A vague description in the conditions for the MOT exemption for tractors has created a lack of clarity among farmers and mechanization companies. The ministry puts an end to this: the use of the vehicle is leading, not whether it is driving on a public road.
After previous publications about the MOT exemption for tractors, Nieuwe Oogst received questions from farmers about this exemption. The MOT requirement is introduced together with the registration requirement and only applies to tractors with a maximum construction speed of more than 40 kilometers per hour.
A somewhat unclear wording on the website of the National Road Traffic Agency (RDW) leads to confusion. This mainly concerns the phrase in which the exception to the MOT obligation is explained. This exemption applies to tractors of farmers who mainly use ‘country roads, forest paths or fields’.
• Also read: Insurance expert: ‘Registration of agricultural vehicles on track’
Because many rural and public roads do not fall under the term ‘country roads’, farmers wonder whether the exemption is not a sham. There is also a fear of uninsured driving. But this is a wrong starting point when reading the exemption, explains a spokesperson for Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W).
The I&W spokesperson explains that it is not the road on which the tractor drives that determines the exemption, but the use of the vehicle. ‘If the entrepreneur demonstrates that the tractor is used on his farm, that is sufficient to comply with the exemption. This also applies on public roads. ‘
The ministry acknowledges that the MOT exemption will be ‘difficult to implement and enforce’. When the tractor is stopped, the owner or driver must demonstrate that the tractor belongs to his company with an extract from the commercial register. In time, there may be a link between vehicle registration and trade register, making this unnecessary.
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