British regs lead Europe, says Ron Ellis
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• Existing UK axle weights and overall dimensions are sufficient for higher overall gross weights that are needed to allow the carriage of 40ft containers of 30 tons unladen weight. Industrialists all over the world have been asking for an increase in gvws with the 40ft container in mind; vehicles based on the 10-ton axle can cope with loads of this order.
These claims were made by Mr Ronald Ellis, a vice-president of the SMMT and managing director of British Leyland's truck and bus division, at a Show press conference on Monday. And he made particular mention that the increase in the average loads carried in vehicles had made it possible for 14 per cent more freight to be handled, compared with 1967, without adding to the number of vehicles on UK roads. Other countries would be better off, he said. if they had followed this country's example. Because of the new axle-spread regulations, the maximum loads carried by rigid vehicles had been increased and this had slowed up the increase in the number of articulated vehicles.
After pointing out that the UK led Europe with regard to smoke and power regulations, Mr Ellis forecast that Europe would probably follow the UK's example in due course. In the last three years noise levels in this country had been reduced by 3dBA, which represented a 50 per cent reduction in noise level.