MPs block longer trucks
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• As expected, the Government last week won House of Commons support in its battle with the EEC to keep longer lorries off Britain's roads.
There was no opposition when Roads and Traffic Minister Peter Bottomley asked the Commons to support his stand against an increase in the maximum permitted length of articulated vehicles from 15.5 to 16.5m.
Bottomley now hopes to persuade other Community states to resist the reform — which he believes will cause more road crashes, damage the interests of UK hauliers and harm the environment.
The minister criticised the EEC's failure to accompany longer overall truck lengths with a limit on cab dimensions and coupling mechanisms. "Some Continental operators — mainly French, Belgium and Dutch — have fought to maximise the length of the semitrailer with the international limit of 15.5m.
"They increase loading space at the expense of the coupling mechanism and the driver's cab. They have exploited a loophole in the directive with the result that the safety and ergonomic conditions of the driver have been reduced," he said.
Bottomley argued that by ducking the rules some European operators were able to transport more pallets and longer containers.
He called the Commission's solution "misplaced" because it allows the longer semi-trailer to continue in operation by increasing the overall length of
the combination by one metre to 16.5m.
The Minister said that Britain was opposed to any increase in the length of articulated vehices because of the impact on traffic movement ai the risk to road safety. He said: "UK tractors and semitrailers are incompatible with the proposed construction requirements for tractors and semi-trailers. The nose of the UK trailer is shorter and less space is allowed for it behind the tractor cab. An ISO tract( has a longer nose and will not fit on a UK tractor."
"To meet the turning circle requirements of the directive three-axle unit could not be used in conjunction with a twr axle semi-trailer at an overall length of 16.5m," Bottomley added.