The regulation UNECE R156 is arguably one of the lesser-known mandates that apply in the automotive world. The regulation was developed to regulate a specific area of vehicle technology generally described as ‘Software Update Management Systems’ (SUMS). The aim of SUMS is to prevent unregulated and potentially dangerous updates from being uploaded (maliciously or otherwise) to a vehicle’s IT or software systems.
While initially directed at the passenger car, truck and bus sectors, the regulation has now been extended to include trailers. For this reason, the technology and vehicle component giant ZF Friedrichshafen AG hosted an information session to outline what the regulation will mean for the transport industry.
It is estimated that every 2 out of 3 trailers on European roads are equipped with a ZF Braking System and that every trailer in Europe has at least one component produced by the German manufacturer. This means they are well placed to support the trailer OEMs who R156 will mostly affect.
In essence, all the software updates applied to a trailer will now be the responsibility of the OEM that manufactured the trailer, regardless of who may have developed the software. This shift in accountability places a complex challenge at the door of trailer producers throughout the whole life of the trailer.
OEMs will now be responsible for approving, releasing, documenting, and evidencing every software update. This approval will apply to all workshop and service facilities that intend to maintain trailers, and they must now comply with the requirements set out in R156. To this end, ZF’s Dr Peter Bruns says “that approval gets the vehicles on the road, but compliance keeps them there.”
The timeline for implementation of R156 within Europe for new vehicle type approval is July 2024, with approval for new vehicle registration being July 2026. Already, ZF say their ISO 24089 cloud-based SUMS Service Suite has been adopted by many of Europe’s major trailer producers, and though ZF will not disclose names at this stage, they do confirm they have completed a supply agreement with Tirsan Trailers of Turkey. Paul White