12th December 2019
As of January 2019, NRMM stage V legislation is in force. Are you compliant? Check your engines!
As of January 2019, new European legislation (2016/1628) is in forceto regulate the emission of Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM).
If you’re not in the know, this may raise an important question: what is Non-Road Mobile Machinery? NRMM is defined as any mobile machine, item of transportable equipment, or vehicle (with or without bodywork) that’s:
- Not intended to carry passengers or goods on the road
- Installed with a combustionengine (petrol and diesel)
As for the legislation itself, this is focused on emissions and setting standards for carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, and – for diesel engines – particulate matter.
NRMM and the cold chain
The regulation does, of course, have a direct impact on transport refrigeration units (TRUs). Of particular interest is NRMM Stage V, which came into effect on January 1, 2019 (for engines below 56kW and above 130kW) – with more coming from 2020 (for engines between 56kW and 130kW).
What Stage V specifies is emission requirements for all categories of diesel and positive ignition engines. More importantly, unlike previous stages, Stage V puts more stringent controls in place, and widens the scope of applicability to include:
- Construction machinery (excavators, bulldozers)
- Garden machinery (lawnmowers, hedge trimmers)
- Mobile generator sets (including Transport Refrigeration Units)
The emission levels your fleet needs to comply with
For NRMM, the emission standards you’ll need to comply with are dependent on the net power (kWh) of any relevant engine:[MOU1]
| Category | Ignition type | Net Power (kW) | Carbon Monoxide emissions (CO -g/kWh) | HC (g/kWh) | Oxides of nitrogen emissions (NOx -g/kWh) | Particulate Matter (PM -g/kWh) | Particle Number limits (PN -1/kWh) |
| NRE-v/c-1 | Diesel (Cl) | P < 8 | 8 | 7.50 | 7.50 | 0.40 | – |
| NRE-v/c-2 | Diesel (Cl) | 8 ≤ P < 19 | 6.60 | 7.50 | 7.50 | 0.40 | – |
| NRE-v/c-3 | Diesel (Cl) | 19 ≤ P < 37 | 5 | 4.70 | 4.70 | 0.40 | 1×1012 |
Source: https://www.dieselnet.com/standards/eu/nonroad.php#s5
Seeking reassurance that you’re covered
The net result of NRMM legislation is a concerned community of fleet managers worried that their TRUs are not fully compliant. As a result, many are having to go through the arduous process of checking their equipment, and conducting additional maintenance where required.
But not Thermo King customers. Since 2018 our truck and trailer equipment has complied with NRMM Stage V, and feature Stage V certified GreenTech™ engines. That means peace of mind, and knowing that while others stood still we were busy adapting our technologies BEFORE the legislation took effect.
What’s more, we’ve been able to do this without compromising either cooling capacity or performance. This is an approach to design that helps future-proof your fleet while avoiding the need for extra components and complexity.
Time to start
The good news, at least in terms of keeping things simple, is that there are only 2 types of NRMM compliant engines:
- Fully compliant Stage V engines – able to meet all NRMM Stage V specifications as of January 2019 (like ours!)
- Transition engines – which can legally be available up until 31 December 2021, but only if they comply with the latest applicable emission stage
If an engine type doesn’t fit either of these two classifications then it’s simply non-compliant, and will face growing restrictions when it comes to accessing low emission zones.
Get your TRU engines fully compliant
Thermo King has anticipated the evolution of NRMM legislation and introduced proactive enhancements to our technology to keep customers fully compliant. We see this as vital to future proofing both our own technology and the investments of Fleet Managers and owners.
We can therefore offer a complete roadmap for helping ensure your transport fleet is ready for the road ahead, and that it’s fully NRMM Stage V compliant.
What’s more, with any Thermo King (or other) equipment that’s older than 2018, we’ll help determine if you’re covered – or what’s needed to get you there.
