Suspension clubbers must wait says Dip
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• The Department of Transport has postponed its plan to set up a joint "Suspension Club" with CV manufacturers to look into suspension-related topics on trucks and trailers, including axle compensation and road wear.
Following its initial meeting with some 40 industry representatives late last year (CM 8-14 October), the Department says that "nobody has come back to us with anything other than general interest in collaboration — it's really in the manufacturers' court".
It is understood, however, that the Department has also been less than forthcoming about the kind of work to be undertaken by any joint project and, more importantly, how much money manufacturers would have to contribute.
The DTp says it will now undertake an in-house review of its own research, including work already carried out by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL), in an effort to come up with more tangible performance criteria for a suspension system which could be produced by the club. The review will not only consider the best kind of suspension to investigate, but also its likely effect on roads.
According to the DTp: "We aren't that far from getting something more specific." The Government's reluctance to accept higher weights, however, could mean that any research is given low priority.
A consultation document is expected to be issued soon, following last December's disclosure by DTp permanent secretary Sir Alan Bailey that the Department might allow tri-axle trailer bogies with air suspension to carry more weight than at present.