3+2 favoured
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TO AVOID increased road damage from the 38-tonne vehicle, the fifth axle should be attached to the tractive unit, according to David Burleigh, assistant county trading standards officer for East Sussex County Council.
The problem of road damage comes when the load is not evenly distributed over the five axles, he said. And with the fifth axle on the trailer, the possibility of road damage is increased, he added.
The Trading Standards Office examined a dozen 38-tonne vehicles coming out of the port of Newhaven. Most of these had the fifth axle on the trailer and so the second axle on the tractive unit was overloaded, Mr Burleigh explained.
"We made noises to the Transport Minister in this respect, saying that the fifth axle should be on the tractive unit. And in the case of vehicle excise duty, the Government has obviously taken it into consideration," he said.
The road tax for a 2+3 axle combination is £2,940, while a 3+2 combination is just £2,590.
Mr Burleigh said that the 38tonne vehicle made good economic sense and said that there would be no moves to try and ban it from East Sussex. "If more road damage is caused by the new 3 8-tonner, then more money must be allocated to road maintenance funds," he told CM.