Measuring up at CTR
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• Very few operators are yet quite clear about how the new overall and trailer length laws will work in practice, especially as the law makers seem to keep moving the goalposts. The increase in maximum combination length by one metre to 16.5m is only allowable if several constraints are met. So an initiative by Tiphook subsidiary Central Trailer Rentco (CTR) is well timed.
The problem of how to ensure that a tractor trailer combination remains legal, especially when picking up different length trailers worries large and small fleet operators alike discovered CTR. So a series of roadshows has been held around the country to explain the new laws, and to encourage users to bring in their tractors to see if they can legally couple to the new length trailers now available.
The new longer trailer lengths allow operators to carry 26 metric pallets or 33 Euro pallets with a small space tolerance to account for packing. But with the traditional short wheelbase tractors used in UK, there could be problems with the trailer fouling the back of the cab, so this swing clearance needs careful checking before coupling up.
One way of doing this is by the use of a new adjustable measuring device which will be held at every CTR depot which is a quick and foolproof method of checking the clearance. Using it will be far quicker than trying to work things out on paper. It is an easy way of ensuring that a long-nosed trailer will not sweep off some of the
hardware at the back of the tractor cab the first time the unit turns.
The new laws allow the trailers to have dual king pin positions, and all new CTR versions are so equipped, and clearly marked. CTR has fixed the overall trailer length at 13.4 metres for reefer and general cargo models and 13.53 metres for TIR traffic.
Maximum possible trailer body lengths are fixed by a requirement that the distance from king pin to the absolute rear of the trailer must not exceed 12 metres, that the front swing radius from kingpin to corner of trailer must not be more than 2.04 metres, and the combination can turn in a specified dimension. A useful booklet is published by CTR, and available from depots which explains the new laws.