17 tonners for 1988
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• Operators can expect to see 17 tonne GVW two-axle rigids on the road some time next year, Government and manufacturer sources are now privately admitting.
The move from the present 16.26 tonne GVW limit will please operators hoping to gain from a 0.6 tonne increase in payload — but the 17 tonner's introduction will be slower than hoped.
It appears that through the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, truck manufacturers have wrung a time concession from the Government. This means that although the 17 tonne Construction and Use amendment should go through Parliament this year, there will be an extra year to wait from that date while manufacturers make alterations for the higher weight limit.
"We are prepared to go along with the increase to 17 tonnes if there is an adequate lead time for manufacturers to move the rear axle, to lengthen the wheel base, or to restrict the length of the Load space to take some of the load off the rear axle," SMMT
chief engineer Ken Barnes told Commercial Motor.
Without these changes, the manufacturers fear that it will be very easy for drivers to overload vehicles unintentionally.
Originally the SMMT had wanted the present 10.17 tonne rear axle limit to rise to 11 tonnes to accommodate the increase to 17 tonnes, but the Government has rejected this as "difficult for various reasons".
Now it appears that the current configuration of 10.17 tonnes on the rear, and 6.1 tonnes on the front will almost certainly switch to 10.5 tonnes and 6.5 tonnes to make up the 17 tonnes.