Big artics: makers asked for stability probe
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• The Society of Motor Manufacturers has been asked to look at the possibility of setting design standards for the stability of long articulated outfits, about which some concern has been expressed over the past year or so.
It is understood that a letter has been sent from the transport panel of the Institute of Petroleum (whose members include major oil companies) to the SMMT requesting that the basic stability characteristics of large artics be investigated with a view to producing design criteria for the best possible stability characteristics.
One of the problems is felt to be that the separate parts of anic outfits still stem from separate sources, and although matching has improved it could help to overcome stability problems if more precise matching could be achieved. Very often, tractive unit, coupling, semi-trailer chassis, and the body all originate from separate organizations; this is one aspect which the SMMT is expected to be asked to look at.
Meanwhile it is known that the Ministry of Transport is being asked by several bodies, including the Transport and General Workers' Union, to initiate stability trials with long artics, as an independent extension of work that has already been undertaken by some of the oil companies and large haulage operators.