British hauliers are
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19losing the inch war
UNILATERAL action by Belgium and the Netherlands on lorry widths threatens British fridge hauliers, arid is leading to renewed pressure for a change in the law in this country.
A legal standard maximum width of 2.5m was agreed for _international haulage throughout the EEC at the end of last year, with states being allowed to introduce different rules for internal haulage.
The Benelux countries have brought in a 2.6m width limit (CM, July 20) which gives substantial benefits to hauliers running thin-walled reefers which meet the stringent ATP Class C refrigeration standards.
The extra 10cm allows bodybuilders to use thick, durable insulation material and at the same time leave. room for 24 metric pallets to be loaded on to the trailer.
Having the same quality of insulation on a 2.5m wide reefer means that there is only enough room for 21 metric pallets.
Thin-walled 2.5m reefers arc thought to lose their insulation properties on intensive haulage work, and the Italians have banned them from carrying frozen loads because they consider them inadequate.
Also, thin-walled reefers can use up to £15 more fuel on an international journey, because the fridge has to work harder to keep the load cold.
British hauliers have noticed more Dutch and Belgian lorries at 2.6m coming into Britain, and fear the trend will continue. The foreigners have a strong commercial advantage.
The 2.6m reefers are illegal in Britain, hut are in practice indistinguishable without a tape measure.
One senior police officer said: "We probably wouldn't notice. The problem is not something which has come to our attention. It sounds like something for the Ministry to sort out."
But for the Department of Transport, the problem is. purely one of enforcement. "If you've got concrete evidence that this is happening, pass it on to the police," a spokesman said on Tuesday.
The International Refrigerated Transport Association and several manufacturers of trailers are calling for an increase in permitted widths, but there seems little prospect of the IDTp agreeing.
"It's a pretty pathetic situation for the sake of two inches," said IRTA director Graham Eames, who is managing director of Hargrave International. Even a 2.55m limit would make a difference, he said.
A couple of British hauliers have already registered trailers abroad to compete with the Dutch on more equal terms. "This problem will either be sorted out reasonably or everybody will be running around with illegal equipment."