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THE WHOLE TOM!
Page 46
Page 47
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We've been hearing rumours about whole vehicle type approval 'or a long time — but it looks like its advance guard will arrive next
year. Steve Banner
has been finding out how it will affect manufacturers and operators.
3 odybuilders and trailer makers who believe that European whole vehicle type approval (EWVTA) will never tppen are in for an unpleasant shock. cording to Leonard Fuller, Andover Trailers igineering director and president of the 3mmercial Trailer Association. "It's coming td it's virtually unstoppable, whether we like )r not," he says. -There is no use pontificating out it being silly or unnecessary" At present only truck chassis have to comply th type approval rules, which ensure that it aets the required regulatory standards. -Ider EWVTA,however,the entire vehicle, :luding the body, will have to pass muster. NVTA will also cover trailers—enforcement II be handled by the Vehicle Certification ;ency (VCA) and the Vehicle and Operator rviccs Agency (Vosa).
EWVTA will first make its presence felt :h a voluntary programme starting in April )9.A mandatory scheme will come into cc in stages from October 20l () with all tides and trailers falling into the net by tober 2014.
'The EC has published the framework ective and during the first quarter of 2008 Department for Transport will be Nutting on how best to introduce it into ional law," says Alan McKenzie,technical manager at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
EWVTA does not involve crash testing. It is designed to ensure all the components used in the construction of a body or a trailer —from the lights to the rear under-run guard — are legal and meet VCA or an equivalent approval body requirements. If fitting a body means changes have to be made to. for example, the mirrors, they too will have to be approved.
"However,the body will not normally require approval,says Ken Brewis, Iveco UK head of homologation and technical support.
Building blocks
suggests: The best approach for any bodybuilder or trailer producer is to have all the key components and sub-assemblies it uses certified.That will give you the basic building blocks you require and will make obtaining EWVTA a lot easier, Using lots of proven parts will benefit the customer too, because reliability should be better."
The bodybuilder/trailer maker must be able to prove that it has complied with the new rules and that it is consistent in what it does. This will demand efficient record-keeping, an extensive paperwork trail, and almost certainly accreditation to IS09000 or a similar standard. Documents proving that the regulations have been met will have to be supplied to the dealer. Without them he will not be able to register the truck.
This all sounds straightforward enough if a standard box or dropside body is being constructed, but what if the body is a one-off for an unusual application and the chassis has had to be altered to suit? What if non-standard components have had to be fitted'?
Such vehicles will be dealt with under a national approval scheme governing one-offs and short production runs, McKenzie says. This will involve physical inspection, he says: Vosa for one-offs and the VCA for short runs.
But Fuller is concerned about how quickly such inspections will take place."We live in an industry where time is of the essence, and having to wait weeks or months won't be good enough. Senior people at Vosa and the VCA seem to appreciate this and I'm encouraged by the attitude they're adopting. But I remain concerned and I think both organisations will be facing some major challenges."
Will dealers and operators be able to evade EWVTA by registering a truck's chassis before the body is fitted? Not a chance, says McKenzie. "It will be treated as an incomplete vehicle and registration won't be possible."
In the long run, EWVTA should lead to higher quality bodies and trailers, and that must be good news for consignors and operators alike but approval schemes have to be paid for. The size of the fees has yet lobe finalised but they will only be the tip of the financial iceberg, says Robin Dickeson,SMMT manager of CV affairs. "The big costs so far as bodybuilders and trailer makers are concerned will be in the changes to planning, production and management needed to deliver conformity of production standards."
"These costs will have to be passed on to the end user," says Bevan Motor Bodies managing director Anthony Bevan.And Richard Owens marketing manager at Don-Bur, warns that is unlikely to be easy. "It's a buyer's market, with prices falling rather than rising. I think we'll see another well-known trailer maker go under within the next 12 to 18 months."
Shake-out Fuller agrees."EWVTA will push up costs for trailer makers and there will be a further shake. out in the trailer industry, although the overall impact may not be as bad as people predict. The impact on bodybuilders will be greater."
Something that could drive prices back up again is a reduction in competition as bodybuilders who either do not wish to comply with EWVTA or are incapable of doing so shut up shop.
"A fall in body-building capacity may also result in longer lead times," says Dot UK product marketing manager Philip Moon. He believes one consequence of this could be an influx of European bodybuilders to fill the gal After all, when you comply with EWVIA yoi can sell your bodies anywhere in the EU.
Anticipating EWVTA, Daf is already fittin standardised bodies on the assembly line at it: Leyland, Lancashire,plant, assuring custome. that anything it installs will comply.
The SMMT has long argued that EWVTA cannot be introduced without a trailer registration scheme. If implemented, that would almost certainly involve an initial registration fee, possibly with an annual charge; another financial burden for operatoi Moon suspects that some customers will insist that anything they buy complies with EWVTA as soon as the voluntary programrn starts."It may also prompt increased interest in pan-European purchasing strategies amor major operators.
However, its greatest impact might be at a local level. "What it should also lead to is an end to vehicles being presented for test and failing because something has been fitted to them is illegal." says McKenzie and that ha; to be good news. • CONTACTS SMPAT: 0207 235 7000; www.smmt.co.uk VCA: 0117 951 5151; www.vca.gov.uk Vosa: 0117 954 3359; www.vosa.gov.uk