• As an employer. I issue all my drivers
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with record books as required and enter details in the employer's register. As each book is returned! issue a new one and note in the register the date on which the old book was returned. Two of my drivers have recently lost their books and I have had to issue them with new ones. What should I do about the register now that I have not got the. books to show to examiners?
AYou should note in the register, alongside
the number of the books which are lost, the date the loss was reported to you and the circumstances in which the books were lost, This will give you the necessary protection against having to make explanations at a later date should the traffic examiners want to see your records. If the books ever are found, this fact can be entered in the register and the books retained for the six-month period as required by law. After this, should there be enough pages left in the book to make it worth issuing them again in order to be used up, you may do this, but make an appropriate entry in the register.
• / am a plant and vehicle maintenance engineer of a large county council and am responsible for preparing the lubricatingoil schedule covering all the vehicles and plant employed by the council. Because the oil contract is subject to annual tender and has been divided among a number of suppliers, there are as many as four different brands of some oils in stock. Am I justified in insisting that oils of the same grade supplied by different companies should not be mixed?
AWhile it is normally satisfactory to mix
engine oils of the same grade supplied by different companies it Fs not a practice that is approved by the oil companies. And in the event of a failure that could be attributed to faulty lubrication it would probably be blamed on mixing. You are advised, therefore, to play safe by continuing to ban the mixing of similar grades of differing brands. You would be ill advised to mix brands of greases of the same grade.
It may be of interest that a number of operators have adopted the policy of using one highgrk.cle engine oil for a wide variety of engine types including petrol engines. The oil can then be supplied in larger bulk consignments and storage is simplified, with a consequent saving in overall costs. Obviously it would be necessary to seek the advice of the supplier before introducing a one-oil policy. Q I believe there is to be a new system of GV9s introduced later this year. Could you tell me what the new system is?
AA full explanation of the new system was published in the March edition of Freight, the FTA journal. The new three-tier defect notice system will differ in many ways
from present procedures. In particular the newstyle GV9s will be issued in respect of empty as well as laden vehicles and this will entail a number of alterations to the rules and the introduction of a new series of forms.
The standard GV9 will still be used for both immediate and deferred prohibitions but in a changed format. It will be made clear on the form that when the owner claims that the vehicle is fit for service, it may, despite the prohibition: a) proceed to or from the point of re-inspec tion provided an appointment has been made; or (b) be road tested within three miles of where it is being repaired.
Both of these new provisions are necessary now that prohibition notices are to extend to vehicles and not simply to the carriage of goods as is the case under the present system. The exemption for road-testing, once the repairs have been carried out, will only apply within three miles of the repair depot.
There are to be four additional formsGV9A-9B-----9C and the Defect Note. The GV9B will be issued with most immediate GV9s and will permit the movement of the prohibited vehicle on the condition that some or all of the following requirements imposed by the vehicle examiner are met: a) The vehicle is unladen.
b) A specified maximum speed limit (e.g. 10 or 15 mph) is recognized.
c) The vehicle does not tow a trailer.
d) The vehicle is towed by a rigid tow bar.
e) The vehicle is towed by a suspended tow.
f) The vehicle is not on the road after lighting up time.
g) The vehicle only proceeds from the place of inspection to another specified place.
These exemptions are necessary otherwise prohibited vehicles would not be able to move or be moved beyond the point of inspection, particularly as the DoE legal advisers say that prohibitions apply to "towing" as well as "driving".
aCould you tell me what is the advisable depth for commercial vehicle inspection pits?
AThere is no recommended depth for in
spection pits, but it is common to find pits for cv examinations about 4ft 9in. or 5ft deep. The determining factor is usually the types of vehicle expected to be worked on. In the case of a heavy truck, the underside components are relatively high above the ground so the pit would not need to be so deep as one used solely for working on light vans.
Inspection pits at DoE test stations are a standard 4ft 7in. deep but these have pit trolley-jacks fitted which can be used to raise a vehicle if more height is needed.
/ have been making regular checks of tyre treads with a depth gauge to determine wear rates, and these reveal that the rate of wear is higher when there is a relatively deep tread. Is this normal and if so what is the explanation? And why do radial tyres provide better adhesion in the wet than the cross-ply type?
AThe higher the temperature of tyre
tread rubber the greater is the rate of wear. When a tyre has a deep tread there is a long heat-path between the surface of the rubber and the tread base and this increases the wear rate because it reduces the rate of heat dissipation. Moreover, the ribs of a tyre with a deep tread will flex more freely than the ribs of a tread of reduced depth, and the high-amplitude flexing of the deep ribs increases the amount of heat produced.
A radial tyre provides better road adhesion in the wet because the tread is braced to reduce flexing, the relativley thin walls of the tyre being designed to give the flexing required to absorb road shocks. While the ribs of a cross-ply tyre tend to close up under load, the ribs of a radial "stay open" and any water in the tread is more readily dispelled. Rapid dispersal of tread water gives improved contact between the rubber and road surface and thus aids adhesion.
Qam an Ulsterman who frequently has
to drive vehicles backwards and forwards between Northern Ireland and England via the ferries. I understand that! must not drive in England a vehicle which is registered in England without an hgv driving licence, but I am in order to drive vehicles in England which are registered in Northern Ireland. Is this correct?
You are quite correct in your assessment of the situation regarding hgv driving licences as the position stands at the moment. However, the DoE is hoping to be able to make some transitional arrangements in the future for Ulster drivers who hold a NI hgv driving licence so that the two schemes can be interchangeable.
a My garage advised me that fitting a
vacuum servo system without an exhauster to a 1969 Ford Transit 17cwt van, powered by a Perkins 4.99 diesel, would be satisfactory. And a system was installed in the van connected direct to the inlet manifold. It provides virtually no extra stopping power.
Should it operate satisfactorily without an exhauster?
ANo. An exhauster is essential in the case
of a diesel with an hydraulic or mechanical governor because no vacuum is created in the inlet manifold and direct connection to the manifold is unsatisfactory. If the diesel has a pneumatic governor, a vacuum is created in the manifold on overrun and useful servo action is obtainable. An exhauster could be incorporated in your system to provide the necessary servo power.