President of TESK Palandöken: ‘Special vehicle inspection system should be introduced for commercial vehicles’

The President of the Confederation of Turkish Craftsmen and Artisans (TESK), Bendevi Palandöken, said, ‘A special inspection system should be established for commercial vehicles. In addition, certain advantages and discounts should be provided to commercial vehicle owners to alleviate their cost burden.’ President of TESK, Bendevi Palandöken, made written statements regarding vehicle inspection fees. Palandöken stated that high fees for vehicle inspections are putting pressure on citizens and emphasized the need for a special vehicle inspection system for commercial vehicles. ‘Facilitation should be provided for payments with credit cards in vehicle inspections,’ Palandöken said. Palandöken expressed that the ‘credit card collection fee’ in payments made with credit cards for vehicle inspection fees is unacceptable. ‘Every year, increasing vehicle inspection fees put a strain on citizens’ pockets, so now, according to demands, payments can be made with credit cards. However, an additional fee of 77 Turkish liras is charged under the name of ‘credit card collection fee’ for payments made with credit cards. Citizens who already pay high amounts for vehicle inspections do not want additional fees for card payments. Charging the citizen for the credit card collection fee does not align with a fair service approach. Instead of creating difficulties, facilitation should be provided for payments with credit cards. Furthermore, not specifying this additional fee when making an appointment and expecting the citizen to learn about this during payment imposes an unexpected financial burden,’ he said. ‘By providing certain advantages and discounts to commercial vehicle owners, cost burdens should be alleviated,’ Palandöken emphasized the high current inspection fees and the difficulties citizens face in paying these fees. ‘This year, the inspection fees for vehicles such as cars, minibuses, and vans increased from 1,149 Turkish liras to 1,821 Turkish liras, while for tractors, motorcycles, and motorbikes, it increased from 586.50 Turkish liras to 927.60 Turkish liras. As for buses, trucks, trailers, and tankers, the vehicle inspection fee was set at 2,462.40 Turkish liras. These amounts are bending the backs of citizens and craftsmen in today’s economic conditions. Vehicle inspection fees, carried out every year for commercial vehicles, pose a significant burden on drivers. Charging such a high fee for a fault detection that lasts only 10-15 minutes without maintenance and repair is not fair. The annual maintenance of vehicles, fixed costs, monthly insurance premium increases, fuel price hikes for gasoline, diesel, and LPG, tire costs, and other high expenses are already challenging our artisans. Therefore, a special inspection system should be established for commercial vehicles. Additionally, by providing certain advantages and discounts to commercial vehicle owners, their cost burden should be alleviated,’ he stated.