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WA TING FOR APPROVAL
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VVithin a few years, truck bodybuilders will have 'whole vehicle' type approval to contend with — and operators won't be immune from its effects. Steve Banner reports.
In 2012 European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) will propel truck bodies into the Type Approval net, accelerating the polarisation of the UK bodybuilding industry. Peter Rotherham, chairman of the CV bodybuilders committee at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), says bodybuilders unable or unwilling to meet its requirements are likely to go to the wall.
"A small number of big firms will get bigger and take a larger share of the market, and good niche operators will be able to defend their position," he adds. "But those who assume that change only affects the outfit down the road will end up in a difficult situation."
Many bodybuilders are already facing serious problems in advance of this shakeout, he adds."The squeeze is on, and in a lot of cases they're selling bodies at the same prices they were selling them at 10 to 15 years ago," says Rotherham.
At present only the chassis comes under Type Approval rules, which require it to meet the required regulatory standards.
Under WVTA, however, the entire vehicle, including the cargo body, will have to comply. This will be policed by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (Vosa).
Trailer manufacturers
Alan McKenzie, technical manager at the SMMT, warns that trailer manufacturers will be affected too: "We're not talking about crashtesting. What we're talking about is, for example, ensuring that lighting, sideguards, rear under-run guards and coupling pins comply with the law and have been correctly installed.
"Anybody who is used to complying with the Construction and Use Regulations shouldn't have too much to worry about."
WVTA is also about consistency, and trailer manufacturers and bodybuilders will have to be able to prove that everything they turn out meets its requirements. 'This will almost certainly mean
conforming with internationally agreed quality benchmarks like ISO 9002," Rotherham says. "So far only a handful of UK bodybuilders do
lt's also going to entail a paperwork chain, with the last person in the chain collating the necessary documents to prove that each step in the production process meets WVTA requirements before the truck or trailer can be registered.
"In theory, that last person could be the tail-lift installer," says Derek Skinner, technical director at Schmitz Cargobull UK. In practice, however, it will probably be the truck dealer, or the trailer
manufacturer or distributor,
So what about trailer registration? "The reality is that you cannot type-approve a trailer unless you register it," says Robin Dickeson. SMMT manager, CV affairs.
Skinner agrees. "Trailer registration will have to be introduced alongside WVTA, and in my view that's going to be as big an issue as the approval regime itself."
Rotherham expects WVTA to be phased in. Relying heavily on self-certification, it will probably begin with a voluntary scheme starting in 2008, he suggests, with compulsory regulations in place by 2012/2013 Rotherham believes WVTA will lead to significant benefits for UK hauliers: "It means body quality will rise, and in the event of an accident it will make it easier for a firm to prove that it meets the highe standards across its entire operation:' However, he fears that needless extra expense will be incurred if a body has to undergo separate type approval when fitted to, say. a Renault Midlum 7.5-tonne chassis when it has already been approv on an lveco Cargo 7.5-tonne chassis That's something of concern to Tipmaster director Matthew Terry "What about if we make a tipper body fitted with a waste cage? Will it need to be type-approved separately from a body that doesn't have one but is otherwise identical?"
-We certainly need to see a lot more detail so that we know what w have to comply with:' says Ingimex managing director Justin Gallen
And what about trailers or bodies that are only produced in small volumes for unusual applications?
Levels of approval
"It looks as though there will be two or three different levels of • approval, says Skinner. 'There's likely to be WVTA for products intended for sale and use throughout Europe, plus 'small series' national approvals for products with a maximum production run of 250 or built in volumes of no more than two or three— and intended for sale and use in individual EU member countries." Any national approval scheme is likely to be less onerous tha
1 full European WVTA. However, if one-off trailers or complex 1 • bodywork have to be approved, Vosa might have to carry out a individual inspection, either at a test station or at the trailer or bodybuilder's own premises."That might take several hours,
ioo
and will of course attract a charge:. he adds.
If non-standard parts have been fitted because of a body or trailer's unusual construction, the manufacturer may have to produce evidence of how they are likely to perform, Skinner warn That's likely to encourage the use of standard components.
Whether its national or European, WVTA is bound to ramp up costs, says Leonard Fuller, engineering director at Andover Trailers and president of the Commercial Trailer Association — and that has t be a cause for concern 'While the trailer industry is remarkably resilient, the margins it works on are quite small:' he points out. There is one group of bodybuilders that won't have to worry, however— Fuller reports that Special Types trailers will fall outside th new approvals process
"One has to question to what extent end-users will be willing to pay for the additional cost of WVTA, especially if they are big-volume purchasers:. says Bevan Motor Bodies MD Anthony Bevan,
In a bid to help bodybuilders aiming to meet WVTA, the SMMT has developed a set of best-practice guidelines Companies that conform will be listed on the society's website.To comply. a bodybuilder must, among other things, offer customers a certificate declaring that the body concerned meets the guidelines This, Rotherham suggests, should help preserve residual values 'What's more, stickers are bein launched for use on bodies that adhere to the guidelines:' ONTACTS SMMT: 020 7235 7000; www.smmtco.uk VCA: 0117 951 5151; www.vca.gov.uk Vosa: 0117 954 3359; www.vosa.gov.uk