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lveco and VI say EuroTrakker is safe but the row goes on

1st April 1999, Page 10
1st April 1999
Page 10
Page 10, 1st April 1999 — lveco and VI say EuroTrakker is safe but the row goes on
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

• by David Craik Iveco Ford has assured operators of its 340E34 EuroTrakker tippers that there is no safety issue" with this vehicle, following concerns raised recently by operators (CM11-17 Mar). The company's findings are based on a test of two EuroTrakkers by Vehicle Inspectorate officials.

But they have been challenged by former VI vehicle examiner Tony Jones.

He and EuroTrakker operators including Londonderry-based John McDaid still claim the vehicle's Simplex braking system is not suitable for heavy tippers, and brake wear cannot be checked by looking through the back-plate inspection slots. They also claim the wear is excessive and uneven.

But the VI says its inspectors could see any wear through the slots. A spokesman for Iveco Ford says the VI test was carried out on vehin'es during a routine service. Brian Jones of the VI's Bristol branch says one of his officials and an Iveco representative were involved in the EuroTrakker inspection.

"We were asked if there was any reason whether operators could not be aware of any brake wear," he says. We proved that you could discover any dettrioration of these brakes through routine means via the back plate

without the need for a major strip down.'

Brian Jones adds that he was not asked to investigate if the brakes were prone to excessive wear. ''These are type-approved brakes," he points out. Iveco insists that the wear levels are within its expectations.

Tony Jones says he is not at all convinced by the test and challenges the DOT to meet him. "This issue will not go away and questions still need to be answered," he says. "I do not believe that you can see the brake shoes from any position."


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