ipper men mt Buxton
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v Gordon Crabtree and Anthony O'Toole
CONTROVERSIAL NOTE was struck the opening of the Road Haulage sociation's sixth annual Convention of ping Operators at Buxton last Friday.
appeal by the Mayor, CIIr William niter, to heavy goods vehicle operators co-operate in cutting out noise, pollution cl nuisance came under good-natured ack both from the body of the hall and chairman, Mr W. A. Glendinning. e Mayor of Buxton, who welcomed more in 200 tipper operators, said he hoped mey would be made available to build relief road through the town in the near ure.
Mr Glen dinning reminded the Mayor that my hgvs — 40 were on show in the town conjuction with the convention — cost as tch as £11,000 apiece and as much as 50 to £750 to keep on the road in licence : alone. Mr R. Withers (D. Walters ansport Lid, Newport) noted that work ing on in Buxton Gardens was being 3omp1ished only through the use of hgvs. Cllr Poulter should remember the )sperity brought by hgvs; large vehicles, rticularly those used by tipper operators, re a necessity in this day and age.
Ippers nd the IRA
t A. W. BROWN, an assistant secrey of the Department of Employment, iressed the Convention on the Industrial lations Act. Mr Brown said what
was important was the fact that the National Industrial Relations (Court and the Industrial Tribunals would not afford remedies to parties who had behaved in a provocative, unreasonable (3r vexatious manner nor would NIRC usually award costs to the "successful" litiga nt. The Code of Industrial Relations Practice had two main themes, the vital role of collective bargaining carried out in a re asonable and constructive manner between e:mployers and strong representative union's, and the importance of good huma.n relations between employers and employees.
Referring to constraints on industrial action, Mr Brown said industrial pressure against innocent third parties w as not unfair unless it was deliberately used to force the innocent party to break a commercial contract with a party to the dispute, for example. by "blacking" goods or imposing a secondary boycott. Hence the present situation in the case of Heatorts Transport Ltd, Craddock and Bishops Wharf It was unfair to call a strik e to compel an employer to deny any worker his rights under the Act. Wherever resort to industrial action was unlawful the injured party could seek a remedy at NIRC, as indeed haulage companies conc(erned in the container staffing disputes had d, one.
In an after-lunch address Mr D. M. Clements, director-general of finl ince for the National Coal Board, reassured delegates on a number of points. These concerned weighing facilities, delays, and refusal to load vehicles driven by non trade unionists.
Commodity group in conclave
FOR the first time since its inception the Convention divided into functional groups for detailed discussion of particular problems. The coal commodity group was addressed by Mr E.V. Molyneux, NCB director of transport services, and they discussed the problems facing hauliers engaged on Coal Board work.
In particular, Mr Molyneux said he wanted to know whether the operators would take advantage of the new axle spreads to engage in rigid vehicle operation or continue to operate artics at 32 tons, and added that he was considering the future installation of weighbridges at collieries.
Of the 30 members present 25 were in favour of reverting to 30-ton rigids.
Mr 1. Goodier (Goodier and Sons, Preston) sought some assurance that the NCB would consider three-year contracts with hauliers. In addition, he felt it would be desirable for an escape clause to be included to release hauliers from the contract if agreement could not be reached on rate increases.
Mr Molyneux said that there would be some difficulty in arplying such a system to transport.
Mr A.L. Hopkinson (A.L. and E. Hopkinson, Chesterfield) asked if the Board carried out checks to ensure that vehicles /working to it were properly licensed. He knew that in the Chesterfield area vehicles without excise licences were being loaded in collieries and therm driven on the public highway.
Mr Molyneux promised to examine this matter and asked Mr Hopkinson to give him details of the vehicles concerned. He was fully aware that the NCB could be considered guilty of aiding and abetting in such instances.
At the quarries commodity group discussion, Mr E HemphiN, representing the RHA, and Mr J. I Jnsworth, representing the Quarrying and Slag Federation, discussed a number of topics. One firm result of this group's activities was that consideration is to be given for the. RHA and the Federation to set up a joint committee to look into quarry rates. Mr Unsworth said that while the Federation bought haulage as cheaply as possible co mmensurate with good service they did not take on cheap rate jobs to the detriment of those who regularly supplied vehicles. Consideration was given to the effects of two recent innovations at quarries; preboo'king and hopper loading, both of which had assisted to speed turnround. Supp lies were now available at many quarries cm a self-service basis from 5 am.
Rapidly rising costs coupled with the seemingly inevitable delays involved after a contract was sig,ned by a tipper haulier and a construction concern provided the main talking point among the commodity group concerned with the civil engineering industry. Mr L. R. House, one of the RHA tipping vehicle: functional group vicechairmen, speaking mainly about the pattern in the London area, said the unscrupulous p irate was ready to cash in on the responsible operator's inability to carry out the obligation implied in a contract signed as much as 18 months earlier. Costs were rising on all sides, said Mr House, to the extent that the tipping haulier was compelled to back out of such contracts or to lose money.
But fixed-price contracts with developers were also a ,aonstraint on the building contractor, acc:ording to Mr ILL. Foster,
speaking for the National Federation o Building Trades Employers. These had bee legally enforceable in 1958, he said.
Mr A.T. Darfington (A. Darlington (H Ltd, Heswall), urged that civil engineerin concerns should accept similar conditions o contract from tipper hauliers as they seeme prepared to accept from plant hir concerns.
Kerr/1 Spencer hits out
THE regional tipper scheme now operatin in pilot form in the Midlands has anti October to prove its viability. When th scheme started in November 1971 it wa estimated that it would require £4250 t finance the region. At the same time it wa decided that if this figure could not b reached within 12 months, consideratio should be given to discontinuing the project After 10 months' operation there are 37 members participating: they operate a tot of 2209 vehicles with a subscription rate o £2612.50 of which E1863 has been paid This was reported to the convention by th group co-ordination officer, Mr K. D Spencer.
He told the delegates that attendance ai the 20 exploratory meetings had been pool with only 101 operators out of a possible 381 attending. The inaugural meeting ai Dudley in November 1971 had beer abandoned through lack of support — on13 two operators turned up and they were at hour late! The group had formed eigh multi-commodity tipping groups and then were hopes that a further two would soot be functioning. Mr Spencer believed tha the scheme "had not done too badly' although he did not express high hope: for the future nor was he entirely despon dent, but he pointed out that the succesi of the scheme depended on the activi participation of members. The initiative, hi said, had to come from them.
The speaker felt that the organization me the proposals made by Mr E. Hemphill a the 1969 convention when the idea was firs mooted. Mr Spencer pointed out that register of co-operative units had beef prepared and was revised annually, whill the organization of the tipping functiona group was under constant review. Thi suggested code of practice has bee formulated, and the service had bee designed to meet any size of company dow to the owner-driver and a secretarial servic had been established.
In the discussion which followed many e the delegates described the co-ordinator' address as despondent and criticized th policy adopted which prohibited group from joining the scheme. Mr L C. VVKso (Scammell Lorries Ltd, Watford) though the seemingly poor response was the resu of the scheme having been launched dui ing a period of recession. Mr Spencer sal a number of operators who had refused t join the scheme because of the recessio but said they were much too busy now t trouble with the scheme. Mr P. J. Foste the regional chairman, said that rate nege tiations had been most satisfactory and t was extremely optimistic about the future.
ipper and A
E final open session of the Convention s the well-established quiz panel which on
s occasion comprised Mr G. J. Newman, ector-general RHA; Mr R. J. E. Dawson, sistant Secretary DoE; Mr I. Sherriff, uty editor CM, and Mr P. Kennett, hnical editor Motor Transport. It seems ditional that Mr L. R. House, of London, ould open the questioning and on this casion he asked why the number of forcement officers in the Metropolitan ea should have been reduced from 105 to I. Mr Dawson said he doubted if these me the facts but also said that if the dustry wanted more enforcement, trators would need to be prepared to pay r it through increased 0 licence fees.
Mr T. B. Llewellyn (Econofreight ansport, Stockton) asked why the DoE d not yet announced the introduction of new axle spreads.
Mr Dawson said that the legal processes adopting the draft regulations were wing a nightmare for his colleagues in the :partment.
Mr L. Wilson (L & W Wilson, Kendal) ced Mr Newman whether the RHA had nsidered diversifying into clearing house erations. Mr Newman said it had to be me in mind, that such a plan required tssive investment. He was nevertheless .e it was something to be considered in 31ving future RHA policy. Mr Molyneux red if consideration had been given to an talgamation of RHA and PTA and was d that there was already close liaison on a mber of subjects but it must always be nembered that the Associations were ving different sectors of industry and that some matters, such as licensing, their inions would not coincide.
Mr Foster was concerned at the roduction of the metric system, and the lel agreed that it could cost the industry ;reat deal of time and money and cause ne measure of confusion.
Mr Goodier suggested that where licks were spot-checked and found to be 1t-free they should be issued with an 3ropriate document stating so. However, panel saw no real advantage in such a tem. This led to Mr D. IL M. Dawson . H. Phillips Ltd, Wirksworth) pointing that there was a great deal of difficulty laving vehicles re-examined following the le of a GV9 and delegates from the rth West and South Wales pointed out
t clearance in these areas could be ained only at testing stations.
Mr J. Reid (J. M. Horricks and Co Ltd, mchester) suggested to Mr Dawson that
stations should provide a 24-hour vice, make full use of capital equipment I at the same time reduce the time-lag ween application and test. Another :stioner wondered if the RHA could not ist members in examining the dit-worthiness of customers. Mr wfnan felt that this might be within the inds of probability but would not want to this developing into a debt-collecting /ice.
Chairman's warning
AT ttie banquet which followed the convention Mr Willie McMillan, the RHA chairman, warned the delegates that tipping vehicles were likely to be the number one target in the DoE's drive against bad operators. He expressed confidence that RHA members had little to fear but DELEGATES at the Convention had a preview of a revised and updated version of the AEC Marshal built specifically for tipper and truck mixer application which was being shown a week ahead of its official announcement date. Built for operation at 24 tons gvw, this vehicle complements the Marshal models introduced at last year's Scottish Motor Show and incorporates a number of features and components used on the recently announced 30-ton Mammoth Major.
Main points of interest for tipper operators lie in the frame construction and suspension employed.
Frame design features incorporated on the Mammoth Major 8 tipper are employed on the Marshal with the result that the frame is 34in, wide and of bolted construction with 12in. deep side-members. A particularly noteworthy point is the introduction of a full-length internal channel flitch to support the cross-members which are postioned at high-stress points.
The main modification to the suspension consists of the redesigned hanger brackets. These are of the same design as that developed for thc Mammoth Major 8 and feature large contact areas to spread suspension loads into the frame from the AEC four-spring balance beam suspension. Each axle of the rear bogie is plated at 9.25 tons and the bogie at 18.5 tons.
For the first time in this design, the constant-mesh TET D 197 six-speed gear box is fitted matched with the AV505 engine which develops 145 bhp on the BS AU 141a scale.
An improved braking system is featured with the brake lining width increased from 7in. to 8in. to give a total lining area of 1308 sq in. and spring brakes on the first cautioned them that even in the• best-maintained fleets of tippers there was always a possibility than one or two vehicles would be found wanting in respect of maintenance.
"It is vital", he said, "at the present time to double your precautions."
and third axles replacing the air-assisted handbrake hitherto employed.
Scammell Lorries showed one of their latest Routeman tippers side by side with one of the older-style units and gave operators the opportunity really to take note of the forward strides made in cab design with this latest model. It differs from its predecessor in that the interior of the roof is lined and insulated, instrumentation has been regrouped in a new facia, all wiring is now covered, a radio is standard and it has fully adjustable driver's seat. Externally, the Routeman differs from the earlier models with its new-style Cibie headlamps and the bottom section of the cab being made in one piece which has been found to help cut down the level of in-cab noise and vibration.
Fodens placed firm emphasis on their latest range built in anticipation of the scheduled changes in axle-spread requirements, particularly on the three forms of
30-ton eight-wheeled rigid models constructed for operation with a 20-ton payload. The Convention provided the opportunity to explain 'which models had been built for particular types of tipping duty.
The shortest wheelbase outfit gives an outer spread of 20ft 8in. This is designed for operations where manoeuvrability is at a premium and where the load is closely controlled, as in the case of concrete mixers and bulk tankers. It nevertheless has a gross plated weight of 31+ tons. An extra 8in, of wheelbase gives more axle-load tolerance and permits a gross weight of 32-tons which, says Fodens, makes it possible to have a slightly longer body of a type favoured by many tipper operators such as sand and gravel hauliers. The third outer wheelbase of 23ft is the same as that of the longest 26-ton models built under the old regulations.
The emphasis of ERF with its exhibits was likewise on rigid tipper chassis designed to conform with the proposals for outer axle and rear bogie spreads. Two new designs, both eight-wheelers, a 28-tonner and a 30-tomer, were on view.
The 30 tons gv$,v unit has a 19ft wheelbase, incorporates a fully flitched frame and has a redesigned rear bogie centre pivot suspension bracket. It has an improved braking system included larger brake chambers and incorporates a Kirkstall double-drive bogie with third differential lock. Rated payload is 19 tons.
Both models had Edbro light alloy bodies and tipping gear reflecting the fact that the high payloads achieved on some of the latest tipper designs are being obtained by emphasizing low-weight aluminium alloy body designs. This was a point brought out particularly strongly at the Convention by Neville Truck Equipment with its Samson body and trailer range.
With a number of exhibits fitting Goodyear Super Single tyres, it looks as though this type of tyre is gaining wider acceptance in the industry. There appears to be a common demand for them from artic operators and rigid vehicle users alike; at the Convention for example, on the one hand there were George Neville dump trailers equipped with them and, on the other, a Ford six wheeled tipper.
This particular vehicle was fitted with an Edbro all-steel body as, of course, were many "bread-and-butter" vehicles at the Convention. Edbro tipping gear was also prominent and, in fact, was used in the design of one of the special bodies on show.
This was an exhibit by Hartwells of Oxford of the latest Murat dual-purpose, tipping freight container carrier. In this design, the ISO freight container is fitted with a polythene liner so that it can carry bulk powders in one direction and, by removing the liner, carry general cargo in the other. It varies from previous designs which relied on gravity discharge, in that a retractable rotary seal, hydraulically driven, is fitted at the tail end to permit pneumatic discharge of powdered or granular materials. Hauled by an ERF tractor with Cummins NHK 220 engine, the outfit's payload is 19 tons within a gross of 32.
An unusual trailer which always seemed to be out on demonstration was a tandem-axle unit built by Crane Fruehauf. This heavy-duty dumper was equipped with Sisu hydrostatic drive to improve traction in extremely muddy and boggy conditions.
Versatility was the keynote of another unusual trailer design. This was a unit shown by Redment Engineering (Hoynor Trailers). It comprised a 30 cu yd dual-purpose tipping trailer with fold-in sides, so that it can be converted to operate as a flat, and complete with coil-carrying well.
Like Neville Industries, Craven Homalloy used the Convention to show it latest all-welded aluminium monocoqu bodies, but the latter's designs combin advanced thinking on bodybuildin techniques with new ideas in traile suspension. As a result, Cravens Industrie Sales gave pride of place at Buxton to th Taskalastic Rubber Suspension it ha: developed. This consists of four bondec rubber Metalastic chevrons which at formed by rubber sandwiches between stee plates in chevron formation. These chevron are mounted in pairs to form a wedg location in the centre of two I-sectio balancer beams. The beams are slung uncle the axles by U-bolts which clamp arouni another bonded bush assembly special': developed to enclose the axle so as to allox maximum axle movement. This is controlle by triangulated radius arms connected ti the top of the axles. The bushes used i these arms are bonded in rubber to afford lubrication suspension assembly. Weight c the complete assembly is 8071b.
The Taskalastic assembly was show fitted to the company's new bulk tippin trailer range mentioned earlier. In maximum capacity form this design can accommodat a payload of 24 tons within a maximur gross combination weight of 32 tons.
Surprisingly perhaps, in view of th continuing emphasis on load control, them was only one vehicle-weighing equipmer maker at the Convention. This was Wins Automation. It had two vehicles at tb exhibition fitted with its vehicle weighin equipment. One was a Seddon 16-to tipping vehicle, the other a small For builder's vehicle, revealing the wide range c vehicles which can be fitted with it. Th sensitivity of Loadax, as the device is callei was particularly well demonstrated on tk smaller vehicle because as soon as the driv4 steps aboard the weight immediatel registers on the in-cab dial and naturally, on this small vehicle it is set to record much smaller weight range than on a lari vehicle, the affect can be seen much ma readily.
There was only one notable absent( from this year's Buxton exhibition; Yoi Trailer was not there. York has helped m much with the organization of the tipp exhibitions at the Buxton Conventions th it seemed strange this year without ther Both the Convention organizers and Yoi will be the losers if York stays away aga in 1973.