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s bigger better?
Page 9
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Brian Weatherley compares and contrasts German and Dutch curiosity about bigger LGVs with typical British funk...
It may be a result of old age, which tends to ferment a certain kind of cynicism, but I couldn't help but wonder why the Germans are more than happy to conduct nationwide road trials with 300 17.8m artics, and the Dutch are allowing extralong vehicles, while in the UK the Department for Transport is still agonising about whether Dick Denby should have a special permit to run a single 25.25m Eco-Link B-Double.
So what have the Germans and Dutch got that we haven't got... apart from a lot more natural curiosity and a grasp of the principle that you shouldn't dismiss something until you've tried it?
Over the next six years, the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (FMTA) wants to see if running an artic with a 14.9m trailer will lead to better load utilisation and fewer wasted journeys. For the record, you can pack 37 Furo-pallets into a 14.9m semi-trader as opposed to 33 in a regular 13.6m semi. And to make sure it gets sufficient data to make a definitive decision, the FMTA has granted trial status to 300 of them.
So do we need longer traders on an We? According to survey by consultants Kessel & Partner the answer is 'YES!' because 85% of all road transport is based on volume, rather than being weight-critical. Obviously, the more you can get on the back of a single artic; the better. The Germans clearly believe that any potential problems with the 'roadcompatibility. of longer artics could be more than outweighed by the benefits to productivity, flexibility and the environment.
Compare and contrast that with the DfT, which has so far run scared from the suggestion that we should allow a limited number of 25.25m rigs on selected UK routes to find out if they really can reduce the number of trucks needed to carry the same amount of goods. And they've every reason to be terrified just imagine if those trials proved the advantages of longer, heavier trucks... then where would we be?