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You might be forgiven for thinking that the esoteric subject
Page 72
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of Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVIA) would appear dull after more weighty matters of spurious parts and red tape. But the SMITS Robin Dickeson had no trouble keeping the attention of our panellists. In his brisk Who?, What?', 'Why?' and Where?' presentation he explained that WVTA for trailers is a natural extension to the system we've long had for cars, vans and truck chassis. "Essentially it means that what's on the label on the tin is what's inside-and it will replace the 'C' bit in the current 'Construction & Use Regulations-. He added that his presentation "also carries a health warning as its the most jargon-rich environment I've ever come across though in fairness to the Department for Transport they
are improving [the wording of it] dramatically." Fortunately, the SMMT has thoughtfully listed all the acronyms used within WVTA on its website.
WVTA will apply to any trailer, regardless of which EU state it's been built in, thereby making it easier to sell trailers in various member states, overcoming previous invisible 'barriers'. However, Dickeson warned: "It cuts both ways -as it also means that someone making a trailer elsewhere in the EU can much more readily import it into this country. So it's an opportunity.. .and threat."
While asserting that "all timetables come with a 'slippage warning", Dickeson asserted: "Our best guess is that it will start with the EU Parliament agreeing on the re-cast Framework Directive this month, and will be mandatory for all vehicles from 2013/2014 and some new registrations before then-but that's the drop-dead date. However, we hope most trailer manufacturers will be well in advance of that and start looking at the options from 2009. Frankly the sooner they get going the better."
GETTIP's Karl Davies wanted to know whether minor variations or options on standard trailers like a curtainsider would require individual WVTA for each variant. Dickeson offered some reassurance: "Not necessarily. If one takes a 'modular approach' there may well be a way of overcoming it. I've got two colleagues in the SMMT talking to manufacturers and helping them get through this." The message from Dickeson is that while the 'fine print' on WVTA has still to be thrashed out there's no time like the present to start engaging with it.
Michelin's Paul Kendrick wondered whether this wasn't going to rebound on operators forcing them to ensure that any new trailer complied with WVTA. However, Dickeson's response was suitably down-to-earth: "Well the supplier isn't going to get paid until it goes on the road and if it hasn't got the approval it won't go on the road. The greater onus will be on the supplier."
The bottom line, that unless a trailer has got WVTA it won't be registered, certainly grabbed the panel's attention. Did Dickeson mean we'd finally see mandatory 'from Day 1' registration of new trailers in the UK rather than waiting for the first year MoT before a trailer was officially 'recognised' by VOSA?
"In the UK we aren't quite going to get [trailer] registration or at least not as we know it on the European mainland," he replied. 'But we think it will be very similar. We understand VOSA will issue a trailer identification number whether that will displayed on the vehicle we don't know, nor if it is, how it will be displayed or how ft will be interrogated by the Police. But this is trailer registration by any other name."
And that, as they say, is a whole new can of worms.., not least as it may well prompt H.M. Treasury to ask why trailers shouldn't have their own VED rate! "We think there will be a consultation this year," concluded Dickeson, "The aim is to get that in soon."