Protestors win on sideguards review
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by Sally Nash
• The Government has been forced to review sideguard regulations following a change in Vehicle Inspectorate thinking which has led to a jump in the number of annual test failures.
The VI is attempting to standardise all regulations, including those for sideguards, throughout the country.
Industry groups including the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, bodybuilders, manufacturers and trade associations joined forces at a recent meeting to demand action from the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions over this issue. As a result of the meeting DETR officials have pledged to look again at the Construction & Use Regulations for vehicles currently in service.
Until recently the VI has "turned a blind eye" if a vehicle's sideguards did not meet all the C&U requirements, as long as they were safe, claims the Road Haulage Association.
RHA technical manager Bob Stacey says: "In the past the VI showed a certain sympathy in interpreting the regulations sensibly—it is now going by the book."
West Midlands bodybuilder JC Payne warns that if the Government does not revise the law it will have to go back to "thousands of vehicles to correct the sideguards".
According to Scania technical manager Clive Burnet, both bodybuilders and operators have been landed with large bills. One operator ran up a bill of £100,000 when his vehicles suddenly failed their annual tests because of sideguards.
The VI says it is fully aware that sideguards have "become a contentious issue".
Standardising the rules has meant that "some vehicles which previously passed tests (are now) being failed, despite being unaltered between tests," admits chief executive Ron Oliver.