The Russian government has submitted to the State Duma a bill on strengthening control over self-propelled vehicles — all-terrain vehicles, swamp vehicles, tractors, quad bikes, and other special equipment. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, more than 40,000 off-road vehicles are in a gray zone: without registration, without technical inspection, and without oversight. Gostekhnadzor inspectors will receive the right to check drivers' documents outside public roads — in forests, fields, and rough terrain. For this purpose, the law on self-propelled vehicles introduces the concept of a "permanent raid," which does not need to be coordinated with the prosecutor's office.
Why all-terrain vehicle control is not working now
Under current legislation, each control and supervisory action by Gostekhnadzor requires coordination with the prosecutor's office — the rule was introduced in 2020 to reduce the burden on business. In practice, this rules out operational inspections outside public roads. The traffic police check a driver's documents on public roads, but inspectors do not always know exactly which documents are required for such equipment.
As of August 2025, 3.8 million self-propelled vehicles were registered with Gostekhnadzor authorities, and the fleet grew by almost 10% over the year. Of more than 680,000 new vehicles that entered circulation from November 2022 to January 2026, 253,000 have not been registered for more than a year. In 2024, fewer than half of all vehicles passed technical inspection. In 2023, 381 counterfeit driver's licenses were identified in 15 regions.
Why owners of all-terrain vehicles do not register their equipment
High-power engines entail a high transport tax, comparable to the tax on "luxury"-class cars. At the same time, the equipment is used only three to four months a year. For the same reason, owners ignore technical inspection, explains expert Aleksandr Shumsky of Probok.net.
During scheduled inspections in 2022–2024, 5,900 unregistered vehicles and 56,100 vehicles without technical inspection were identified. If the violators had fulfilled their obligations, the regions would have received an additional 46.3 million rubles in state duty revenues.
The bill eliminates a regulatory gap that has existed since 2020: Gostekhnadzor effectively lost operational oversight tools after the requirement to coordinate inspections with the prosecutor's office was introduced. The raid format, by analogy with the traffic police, restores the agency's ability to work on site without waiting for permits.