From blueprint to blacktop

The very first paperwork assigned to you in life is your birth certificate. The same goes for caravans. But does today's paperwork still match up with the "newborns" of yesteryear?

- Leon Botha

Before a newly built caravan model is allowed on the road, it needs the green light from the authorities. The process is called “homologation” and it's overseen by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS).

It’s a straightforward procedure that determines whether a new caravan model meets the prescribed specifications - and if it does, it's legally approved for use on South Africa’s public roads. According to the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications Act, homologation refers to “a process for establishing the compliance of a model of a vehicle and the approval being granted by the regulatory authority, prior to it being introduced for sale.”

The same principle applies to all vehicles on the road - every one of them was once a brand-new model introduced to the market. Making changes to your vehicle is second nature; after all, it might not come standard with a tow bar or rock sliders.

When it comes to caravans, modifications are even more common. A built-in air conditioner or an extra set of batteries, for example, might not be part of the original specifications. But these changes can affect the caravan’s original weight figures submitted to the NRCS – and that can have legal consequences, especially if the gross vehicle mass (GVM) is affected.

We spoke to Themba Kaula, who heads the vehicle approval section at the NRCS – the regulatory body responsible for, among others, caravans - to get a clearer understanding of the homologation process up to the point where responsibility shifts to the private owner.

One of many

They approve “samples”, explain Themba, and the idea of the sample is that the production models are exact copies going forward. But down the line your actual caravan could have changed and might not be up to standard anymore. Themba says as soon as you change a regulated item, the relevant NRCS documents must be updated.