Turning circle rule queried • UK trailer manufacturers are concerned
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about an amendment to Construction & Use Regulations on turning circles which comes into force this week, requiring trailers to meet specifications even when lift axles are lifted. The SMMT's Trailer Technical Committee has drafted a letter to the DETR detailing technical objections to the change: primarily, the requirement may encourage the fitting of rear lift axles, which could lead to lower kingpin loads and reduced traction and braking capacity. The letter concludes: "DETR should delete this requirement from the UK regulations and seek to get the requirement removed from the EC directive, on the grounds that it encourages the use of configurations which decrease rather than enhance road safety. The on-highway difference in turning circles is only very marginal and cannot be justified on any realistic grounds."
Len Fuller, technical director of Andover Trailers, is on the SMMT committee. "There is enormous pressure by the EC to harmonise regulations—which is a good thing," he says. "But if we don't involve ourselves in negotiations at an early stage things can get passed through without our knowing."