WEIGHTLESSNESS
Page 3
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• As reported on page 4, the Dip plans to adopt the imminent EC international drawbar length increase for UK operation. That would allow 18.35m rigs on domestic journeys.
So far so good ... or is it? The move should certainly ensure that drivers won't have to squeeze into the kind of ultra-short cab used on certain Continental high-volume outfits. But as the rules restrict the load length to 15.65m they won't help those operators going for maximum volumes. What's more the Dip has made no mention of retrospective changes.
Extending the length of a domestic drawbar is all very well — but when is the Dip going to reveal what it intends to do about drawbar weights? From January 1993 the EC will allow four-axle drawbars to run at 36 tonnes on international journeys, but the dear old Dip will only allow 35 tonnes by virtue of our idiotic refusal to accept an 11.5-tonne drive axle until 1999. Unless, that is, it shows similar commonsense and follows the EC line.
Meanwhile as far as domestic work is concerned the Dip has yet to make any decision on when the current 32.5 tonne limit will go up.
The whole thing is symptomatic of the muddle and confusion that seems to attend every Dip pronouncement on C&U changes, whether it be for speed limiters, multiwheeler bogie limits or drawbar maximum weights.
The Dip ought to apply Lewis Carroll's sound advice on how to pass on information: "Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop." And for good measure don't miss anything out in between.