Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/68 of 15 October 2014 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 167/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to vehicle braking requirements for the approval of agricultural and forestry vehicles Text with EEA relevance

CHAPTER I

SUBJECT MATTER AND DEFINITIONS

Article 1

Subject matter

This Regulation establishes the detailed technical requirements and test procedures regarding functional safety with respect to braking performance for the approval and market surveillance of agricultural and forestry vehicles and systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 167/2013.

Article 2

Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation, the definitions in Article 2 and Annexes XII and XXXIII to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/208 (¹) shall apply. The following definitions shall also apply:

(1) ‘braking system’ means the combination of parts whose function is progressively to reduce the speed of a moving vehicle or to bring it to a halt, or to keep it stationary if it has already halted; the system consists of the control device, the transmission and the brake;

(2) ‘service braking system’ means the braking system that enables the driver to control the movement of the vehicle and to halt it safely, speedily and effectively, for all the range of speed and load that the vehicle is approved to operate, on any up or down gradient;

(3) ‘graduated braking’ means braking which, within the normal range of operation of the equipment, during either the application or the releasing of the brakes, fulfils all the following conditions: (a) the driver can, at any time, increase or reduce the braking force through action of the control device; (b) the braking force acts in the same direction as the action on the control device (monotonic function); (c) it is easily possible to make a sufficiently fine adjustment to the braking force;

(4) ‘control device’ means the device actuated directly by the driver to supply to the transmission the energy required for braking or controlling it. This energy may be the muscular energy of the driver, or energy from another source controlled by the driver, or in appropriate cases the kinetic energy of a towed vehicle, or a combination of these various kinds of energy;

(5) ‘transmission’ means the combination of components comprised between the control device and the brake, excluding the control lines, supply lines and supplementary lines between tractors and towed vehicles, and linking them functionally through mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic or electric means or through the use of a combination of those means; where the braking power is derived from or assisted by a source of energy independent of the driver, the reserve of energy in the system is likewise part of the transmission;

(6) ‘control transmission’ means the combination of the components of the transmission which control the operation of the brakes and of the necessary reserve(s) of energy;

(7) ‘energy transmission’ means the combination of the components which supply to the brakes the necessary energy for their function;

(8) ‘friction brake’ means a brake where forces are generated by the friction between two parts of the vehicle moving relatively to one another;

(9) ‘fluid brake’ means a brake where forces are generated by the action of a fluid situated between two parts of the vehicle moving relatively to one another; the fluid is liquid in the case of a ‘hydraulic brake’ and air in the case of a ‘pneumatic brake’;

(10) ‘engine brake’ means a brake where forces are derived from a controlled increase in the braking action of the engine transmitted to the wheels;

(11) ‘parking braking system’ means a system that enables the vehicle to be held stationary on an up or down gradient even in the absence of the driver;

(12) ‘continuous braking’ means the braking of vehicles constituting a combination of vehicles through an installation having all the following characteristics: (a) a single control device which the driver actuates progressively, by a single movement, from his driving seat; (b) the energy used for braking the vehicles constituting the combination of vehicles is supplied from the same source; (c) the braking installation ensures simultaneous or suitably phased braking of each of the constituent vehicles of the combination, whatever their relative positions;

(13) ‘semi-continuous braking’ means the braking of vehicles constituting a combination of vehicles through an installation having all the following characteristics: (a) a single control device which the driver actuates progressively, by a single movement, from his driving seat; (b) the energy used for braking the vehicles constituting the combination of vehicles is supplied from two different sources; (c) the braking installation ensures simultaneous or suitably phased braking of each of the constituent vehicles of the combination, wherever their relative positions;

(14) ‘automatic braking’ means braking of the towed vehicle or towed vehicles occurring automatically in the event of separation of any of the vehicles constituting the combination of vehicles, including such separation through coupling breakage, without the effectiveness of the remainder of the combination being affected;

(15) ‘inertia braking’ means braking by utilising the forces generated by the towed vehicle's moving up on the tractor;

(16) ‘non-disengageable transmission’ means the transmission for which either pressure or force or torque are continuously transmitted at any time during travelling of the vehicle in the drive train between the vehicle engine and the wheels and in the braking system between the brake control device and the wheels;

(18) ‘wheel load’ means the vertical static force of the road surface in the contact area on the wheel;

(19) ‘axle load’ means the sum of the vertical static forces of the road surface in the contact area on the wheels of the axle;

(20) ‘maximum stationary wheel load’ means the stationary wheel load achieved under the condition of the technically permissible maximum laden mass of the vehicle;

(21) ‘maximum stationary axle load’ means the stationary axle load achieved under the condition of the technically permissible maximum laden mass of the vehicle;

(22) ‘towed vehicle’ means a trailer as defined in Article 3(9) of Regulation (EU) No 167/2013 or an interchangeable towed equipment as defined in Article 3(10) of that Regulation;

(23) ‘drawbar towed vehicle’ means a towed vehicle of category R or S with at least two axles of which at least one is a steered axle, equipped with a towing device which can move vertically in relation to the towed vehicle and which transmits no significant static vertical load to the tractor;

(24) ‘centre-axle towed vehicle’ a towed vehicle of category R or S where one or more axles are positioned close to the centre of gravity of the vehicle when uniformly loaded so that only a small static vertical load, not exceeding 10 % of that corresponding to the maximum mass of the towed vehicle or a load of 1 000 daN, whichever is less, is transmitted to the tractor;

(25) ‘rigid drawbar towed vehicle’ means a towed vehicle of category R or S with one axle or one group of axles, fitted with a drawbar which transmits a significant static load to the tractor due to its construction, and which does not meet the definition of a centre-axle towed vehicle; some slight vertical movement may occur at a rigid drawbar; a hydraulically adjustable articulated drawbar is considered to be a rigid drawbar;

(26) ‘endurance braking system’ means an additional braking system having the capability to provide and to maintain a braking effect over a long period of time without a significant reduction in performance, including the control device which may comprise a single device or a combination of several devices each of which may have its own control;

(27) ‘electronically controlled braking system’ (EBS) means a braking system where the control is generated and processed as an electrical signal in the control transmission and electrical output signals to devices which generate actuating forces produced from stored or generated energy;

(28) ‘automatically commanded braking’ means a function within a complex electronic control system where actuation of the braking system or brakes of certain axles is made for the purpose of generating vehicle retardation with or without a direct action of the driver, resulting from the automatic evaluation of on board initiated information;

(29) ‘selective braking’ means a function within a complex electronic control system where actuation of individual brakes is made by automatic means and where vehicle retardation is secondary to vehicle behaviour modification;

(30) ‘electric control line’ means the electrical connection between two vehicles which provides the braking control function to a towed vehicle within a combination; it comprises the electrical wiring and connector and includes the parts for data communication and the electrical energy supply for the towed vehicle control transmission;

(31) ‘spring compression chamber’ means the chamber where the pressure variation that induces the compression of the spring is actually produced;

(32) ‘hydrostatic drive’ means a type of vehicle propulsion which uses a hydrostatic transmission, with open or closed circuit, in which fluid circulates as the energy medium between one or more hydraulic pumps and one or more hydraulic motors;

(33) ‘complex electronic vehicle control system’ is an electronic control system which is subject to a hierarchy of control in which a controlled function may be overridden by a higher level electronic control function or by a function performed by higher level electronic control system;

(34) ‘anti-lock braking system’ means the part of a service braking system which automatically controls the degree of slip, in the direction of rotation of the wheel, on one or more wheels of the vehicle during braking;

(35) ‘directly controlled wheel’ means a wheel whose braking force is modulated according to data provided at least by its own sensor;

(36) ‘hydraulic connection of the single line type’ means the connection of the brakes between the tractor and the towed vehicle through a single line of hydraulic fluid;

(37) ‘energy source’ means a device that provides the energy required to actuate the brakes, either directly or indirectly through an energy storage device;

(38) ‘energy storage device’ means a device that stores the energy provided by the energy source to apply or release the brakes.

CHAPTER II

REQUIREMENTS APPLYING TO BRAKING DEVICES AND TRAILER BRAKING COUPLINGS

Article 3

Fitting and demonstration requirements related to braking performance

Article 4

Requirements applying to construction and fitting of braking devices and trailer braking couplings

The test procedures and requirements applying to the construction and fitting of braking devices and trailer braking couplings shall be conducted and verified in accordance with Annex I.

Article 5

Requirements applying to testing and performance of braking systems and trailer braking couplings and of vehicles fitted with them

The test procedures and performance requirements applying to braking systems and trailer braking couplings and to vehicles fitted with them shall be conducted and verified in accordance with Annex II.

Article 6

Requirements applying to the measurement of the response time

The test procedures and performance requirements applying to the response time of braking devices and trailer braking couplings shall be conducted and verified in accordance with Annex III.

Article 7

Requirements applying to energy sources and energy storage devices of braking systems and trailer braking couplings and to vehicles fitted with them

The test procedures and performance requirements applying to energy sources and energy storage devices of braking systems and trailer braking couplings and to vehicles fitted with them shall be conducted and verified in accordance with Annex IV.

Article 8

Requirements applying to spring brakes and to vehicles fitted with them

The test procedures and performance requirements applying to spring brakes and to vehicles fitted with them shall be conducted and verified in accordance with Annex V.

Article 9

Requirements applying to parking braking systems equipped with a mechanical brake-cylinder locking device

The performance requirements applying to parking braking systems equipped with a mechanical brake-cylinder locking device shall be verified in accordance with Annex VI.

Article 10

Alternative test requirements for vehicles for which Type-I, Type-II or Type-III tests are not mandatory

Article 11

Requirements applying to the testing of inertia braking systems, braking devices and trailer braking couplings and of vehicles fitted with them as regards braking

The procedures and requirements applying to the testing of inertia braking systems, braking devices and trailer braking couplings and of vehicles fitted with them as regards braking shall be conducted and verified in accordance with Annex VIII.

Article 12

Requirements applying to vehicles with hydrostatic drive and their braking devices and braking systems

The test procedures and performance requirements applying to vehicles with hydrostatic drive and their braking devices and braking systems shall be conducted and verified in accordance with Annex IX.

Article 13

Requirements applying to the safety aspects of complex electronic vehicle control systems

The test procedures and performance requirements applying to the safety aspects of complex electronic vehicle control systems shall be conducted and verified in accordance with Annex X.

Article 14

Requirements and test procedures applying to anti-lock braking systems and to vehicles fitted with them

The test procedures and requirements applying to anti-lock braking systems and to vehicles fitted with them shall be conducted and verified in accordance with Annex XI.

Article 15

Requirements applying to EBS of vehicles with compressed-air braking systems or of vehicles with data communication via pin 6 and 7 of ISO 7638 connector and to vehicles fitted with such EBS

The test procedures and performance requirements applying to EBS of vehicles with compressed-air braking systems or of vehicles with data communication via pin 6 and 7 of ISO 7638 connector and to vehicles fitted with such EBS shall be conducted and verified in accordance with Annex XII.

Article 16

Requirements applying to braking devices capable of hydraulic connections of the single-line type and to vehicles fitted with them

CHAPTER III

OBLIGATIONS OF THE MEMBER STATES

Article 17

Type-approval of vehicles, systems, components and separate technical units

Pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EU) No 167/2013, with effect from 1 January 2016, approval authorities shall not refuse, on grounds relating to functional safety with regard to braking performance, to grant EU type-approval to agricultural and forestry vehicle types which comply with the requirements of this Regulation.

With effect from 1 January 2018, national authorities shall, in the case of new vehicles that do not comply with Regulation (EU) No 167/2013 and the provisions of this Regulation on functional safety with regard to braking performance, prohibit the making available on the market, registration, or entry into service of such vehicles.

With effect from 1 January 2025, national authorities shall prohibit the making available on the market, registration, or entry into service of new tractors fitted with braking systems that are only suitable for hydraulic connections of the single-line type.

Article 18

National type-approval of vehicles, systems, components and separate technical units

National authorities shall not refuse to grant national type-approval to a type of vehicle, system, component or separate technical unit on grounds relating to the functional safety with regard to braking performance where the vehicle, system, component or separate technical unit complies with the requirements set out in this Regulation, with the exception of the requirements applying to hydraulic connections of the single-line type.

CHAPTER IV

FINAL PROVISION

Article 19

Entry into force and application

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply as of 1 January 2016.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

LIST OF ANNEXES

Annex Number	Annex title
I	Requirements applying to construction and fitting of braking devices and trailer braking couplings
II	Requirements applying to testing and performance of braking systems and trailer braking couplings and of vehicles fitted with them
III	Requirements applying to the measurement of the response time
IV	Requirements applying to energy sources and energy storage devices of braking systems and trailer braking couplings and to vehicles fitted with them
V	Requirements applying to spring brakes and to vehicles fitted with them
VI	Requirements applying to parking braking systems equipped with a mechanical brake-cylinder locking device
VII	Alternative test requirements for vehicles for which tests equivalent to Type-I, Type-II or Type-III tests have been carried out
VIII	Requirements applying to the testing of inertia braking systems, braking devices and trailer braking couplings and of vehicles fitted with them as regards braking
IX	Requirements applying to vehicles with hydrostatic drive and their braking devices and braking systems
X	Requirements applying to the safety aspects of complex electronic vehicle control systems
XI	Requirements and test procedures applying to anti-lock braking systems and to vehicles fitted with them
XII	Requirements applying to EBS of vehicles with compressed-air braking systems or of vehicles with data communication via pin 6 and 7 of ISO 7638 connector and to vehicles fitted with such EBS
XIII	Requirements applying to hydraulic connections of the single-line type and to vehicles fitted with them

ANNEX I

Requirements applying to construction and fitting of braking devices and trailer braking couplings

1. Definitions

For the purposes of this Annex:

1.1. ‘coupling force control’ means a system or function to balance automatically the braking rate of tractor and towed vehicle;

1.2. ‘nominal demand value’ means a characteristic of coupling force control that relates the coupling head signal to the braking rate and which can be demonstrated at type-approval, within the limits of the compatibility bands of Appendix 1 of Annex II.

2. Construction and fitting requirements