Tanks for more milk
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• A 14% increase in load capacity for milk tankers has been achieved by a development programme involving the Motor Industry Research Association, Leyland Daf and Thompson Tankers.
The programme was sponsored by the Milk Marketing Board which wanted to take advantage of the increase in maximum weights for two-axle rigids, by revising the design of milk tankers operated by its 50 haulage contractors.
The result of the two-year development is a 17-tonne tanker which can carry up to 10,600 litres of milk, compared with 9,500 litres on the previous 16.26-tonne vehicle.
A 500kg vehicle weight saving was achieved by swapping a Cummins engine for a Leyland unit, and applying computer technology to measure stress on the chassis and tank mountings. From these measurements a new lower weight design was produced. Further savings were achieved by fitting alloy wheels and re moving excess fittings, says MMB development engineer Phil Green.
MMB's 50 haulage contractors operate 1,650 tankers nationwide, hauling a total of 11.5 billion Litres of milk each year, at a cost of i100 It is hoped that the new design will eventually provide savings of more than .£2 million.
The first of the new design has been produced by Leyland Oaf. lveco Ford, ERF and AWD also have plans to build trucks to the new design.