I asten slowly - le letter from Mr. Steele (CM, March
Page 77
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1) ust express the immediate sentiments of 'any members of all the Institutesfions) )nnected with the industry. The timetable -NOW—is not realistic however. Much has ready been done, much more needs to be one. The membership of Institutes, through left elected representatives at regional corniittee and national council levels, provides the :imulus and IRTE strongly supports a cornate charter for the Industry.
A complete charter, surely, means that all le interests, both commercial and prossional must be considered. There are many iterests. To combine now without adequate Kplanation and safeguards for members muld surely lead to the fragmentation which aok place in the past as Mr. Steele decribes in his letter. Upset minorities must e avoided as far as possible.
Hasten slowly is perhaps a better battle ry. The Institute of Road Transport Enineers are doing this—although in the linority of the 31 unchartered Engineering -istitutions a past president has chaired three neetings (over three months only) and the epresentatives of the "31" have agreed that nchartered engineers need a national qualication and title. Qualifications both educeional and practical to result in a national title omparable with Chartered Engineer (C.Eng.)
will emerge. There will be no "sickly, puny, shabby pretence of professionalism": the Chartered Engineering Institutions (CEI) are fostering this national qualification and title.
Within this Institute the regional committees have had discussions with other bodies about the transport manager's licence and the council has prepared detailed recommendations for the Ministry of Transport with some long-term proposals for administration and control of licences. Naturally our proposals are concerned mainly with the licensing on the engineering side.
The proposals of all the organizations--trade associations, management and engineering institutes—should in our view, be put to the Ministry of Transport first. The Road Transport Industry Training Board will, no doubt, adjust its future training policy for managers and for engineers so that transport manager's licence holders, not already acceptable, can become qualified.
Qualifications and the long-term administration of the TM L system must be assembled and agreed somewhere: the Ministry appears the best point of co-ordination at this stage. Some rushed combination of organizations, would be most unlikely to produce the suggested charter. Combine now is an excellent intention provided we all hasten slowly in achieving the strong united professional
Frontbrak locking
I would like to comment on Mr. Ballard's letter headed "raking compromise" in your March 8 issue.
The correct b king ratio between axles on an articulated outfit is essential! Mr. Ballard's remarks are no a matter of compromising but getting priorities right. How he can justify that locking the front axle brakes on a curve is less dangero s than jack-knifing, amazes me.
This is not the ry—over the past 12 months we have come i to contact with operators and drivers whose o er-sensitive front brakes have been disastrous. They have even disconnected the front axle b ekes where they are worked in conjuction ith the third air line. In an emergency driv rs fight shy of using the coupled hand c ntrol because of effects on the steering, so it defeats its own object causing them t look for alternative escape routes rather th n having to brake hard. Then you get a diff rent type of accident, such as a side or tail e d collision.
We have at he moment a typically ludicrous situation here British braking experts are criticizing heir American counterparts because of th ir reluctance to lock front wheels. Americ n experts in turn refer scath ingly to the ritish types who forsake manoeuvrability by allowing themselves to be forced acros the path of oncoming traffic on curves. Who s right?
We agree t at until radical changes are made in the undation, brakes and anti wheel lock 'evices are effectively and economically fi ted to brakes of all wheels, the old proble s of unbalanced brakes, uneven tyre Wear, poor load distribution, adverse road camber a d rapidly changing road surfaces, will co tinue to cause instability in articulated vehi • les.
The use of t Hope device in damping out these unstabili ing forces while they are small, allows he driver the alternative of braking hard s fely or taking the necessary evasive action.
F. J. HOPE, Managing Director, elf Energising Disc Brakes Ltd.