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More four and fives
THERE has been a large increase in the proportion of fourand five-axle articulated lorries, according to Department of Transport statistics.
While the overall population of heavy goods vehicles has risen only from 1973's 21,279 to 21,966 last year the largest artics account now for 24 per cent of the total. In 1973, they amounted to 17 per cent.
There has been a corresponding decline in the number of twoand three-axle rigid vehicles, but the four-axle rigid population — tippers mainly — has climbed slightly from 958 to 1018.
Last year's traffic figures have now been finalised, and show that this rose from 1978's 21.5bn km to 21.9bn km. The first quarter's 5.1bn km figure, caused by the bad winter and the haulage strike, was one of the lowest ever quarterly figures.
The DTp reports that lorry traffic has hardly been affected by increases in the price of derv.