4 ms·
> Where do the worn out NL semis go? Eastern Europe, if I had to guess. I can't say specifically about semis, but in my home country of Romania I've seen quite
by leto_ii 5y ago
> Where do the worn out NL semis go?
Eastern Europe, if I had to guess. I can't say specifically about semis, but in my home country of Romania I've seen quite a lot of Dutch clunker vans/small trucks roaming the streets (you can tell they're Dutch because they still have some of the original branding decals of the companies that used to own them).
- vanderZwan 5y agoWhen I was travelling through Ghana I saw tons of cargo vans with Dutch and German decals, advertising plumbers, bakeries, delivery services, etc. It was a bit odd to see them in the middle of West-Africa. I'm actually kind of curious if anyone ever made a documentary or something about the trip those vans and trucks make, feels like a hidden economy.
- nicbou 5y agoSame with German vehicles. When they fail inspection (usually because of emissions), they are sold to other countries. Central Asia is full of trucks with German lettering. It's always interesting to see.
- lotsofpulp 5y agoThe US has a similar dynamic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_inspection_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_inspection_in_the_Unit...
- imadethis 5y agoI work for a private ambulance company in the US that shifts ambulances between states based off of emissions requirements. Crews working in California for example will always get the shiny new ambulances, while those in Kentucky get ambos with 200k miles (slight exaggeration) to replace the ones that have been driven into the ground.
- throwawayboise 5y agoIf they are just sold on and continue to be used when they fail emissions testing, what is the point of emissions testing at all? The vehicles will just end up in countries that don't care, and emissions will rapidly get worse as they will get minimal maintenance and probably lower quality fuel.
- leto_ii 5y agoSomething similar happens to "recycling" as well, take for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjsL61qi3g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjsL61qi3g
- vkou 5y agoIf there was no emissions testing to begin with, these trucks would be designed to pollute for their entire service life, instead of just the last 20-40% of it. Also, I don't want pollution in my town. The tradeoff of 'tiny reduction in cost of transportation for way more air pollution' is not worth it for me. If some other town on the other side of the planet thinks that trade-off is worth it, that's their decision to make. The effect of this kind of pollution, unlike GHG emissions, is largely localized.
- cowl 5y agoMainly because we are talking about NOx and other Health related emmissions that have local effects not CO2 that have global effects. Yes it sucks about the countries where they end up but it's the responability of the local governments to care what level is acceptable and what not. And often governments have to balance the need to stimulate local economy (by affording to buy cheaper used machines) vs the public health concerns.
- nicbou 5y agoIt sells new cars, and helps countries look like they care about the environment. The problems get dumped onto other countries. Perhaps someone can provide a more charitable view, but that's my understanding.