Smoke in your eyes
Page 27
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uhe Hawk was gratified to hear that nothing but the latest technology is being harnessed in the battle to keep smoking trucks off our highways. T Roberts Haulage of Sheffield recently took one of its vehicles to its local testing station.
Queuing behind another truck fitted with a vertical exhaust, our haulier was intrigued to see it subjected to the rigorous smoke testing procedure. Focussing intently on the end of the exhaust pipe, the man from the VI asked the driver to start his engine. Acute observation of the following puffs resulted in a pass.
When it was Roberts' turn, out came a few thousand pounds worth of smoke meter. The result was also a pass and our man asked why he was subjected to the meter while the other truck had only a visual test.
The answer was simple. If the inspector is unable to reach the exhaust pipe with the smoke probe, a visual test can be carried out. So, Roberts asked, how much tolerance is there with the test equipment? None, he was told: if the result exceeded the stated limits, it was an instant fail, no argument. Roberts was, quite naturally, delighted that VI inspectors are trained to measure smoke emissions to within 0.2m-1, by eye.
The Hawk is left wondering where the testing station's extension pole, which enables those expensive meters to measure smoke from a vertical exhaust, had gone. It's obviously time for a career move. Any Northern tipper operators interested in buying a used vertical stack?