ITALIANS UPSET EEC APPLECART ON WEIGHTS
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ITALY has upset the Euro laws applecart by going it alone on legislation governing the weights and dimensions of commercial vehicles.
This move, taken without any consultation with Brussels, throws into doubt the whole future of plans to harmonise the regulations of Common Market members on truck operation and manufacture.
The Italians slipped through their weight and dimension changes during the ballyhoo of the run-up to their recent Parliamentary elections.
It takes Italy a step further away from European harmony and must raise serious questions about the willingness of other Euro states to comply with rules which are now being broken.
The Italian Bill will probably take effect later this year. It raises axle loads, increases vehicle/trailer lengths and imposes a power/weight requirement of 8 bhp/ton gvw only shortly after Germany has backed down from this ratio to a 6 bhp rule. With maximum gross train weights unchanged at 44 tonnes — but now possible on only five axles — it is welcome news for their vehicle industry.
Axle loads will be raised to 12 tonnes (formerly 10 tons) and to 19 tonnes (14.4 tons) for a tandem axle with a wheelbase of less than 2m. Two-axle rigids can now gross 18 tonnes while units with three or more axles go up to 24 tonnes. A (four-axle) artic or drawbar trailer corn bination will be permitted at 40 tonnes. This will do away with the need for much of the complex running gear and chassis engineering to which Italian operators had to resort in order to gain maximum payloads.
Artie length has been increased to 15.5m (50ft 10in). Overall train length remains at 18m for drawbar combinations but the maximum length for rigids with two or more axles is now 12.5m. Semi-trailer lengths have also been raised to 6.5m (single-axle unit) and 12.5m for multi-axle units. The rear overhang of vehicles (formerly not more than 50 per cent of the wheelbase) may now be increased to 60 pc of the wheelbase — as in UK practice.