Driver comfort ignored?
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NI Many of today's trucks are draughty, uncomfortable and have poor visibility, with manufacturers viewing driver comfort and safety as an "afterthought" in the vehicle design.
This is the damning conclusion of a survey by the Transport and General Workers' Union which says that too often the "driver has been slotted into the space left when all the other needs of the vehicle have been designed".
The union asked drivers at all of its branches for their opinions on the way modern trucks were built. Manufacturers and trade associations met the TGWU last month to discuss the findings.
Some of the bad design featu res complained about included: El Poor visibility on Renault's G290 caused by too small a rear window and too low a windscreen, according to a Yorkshire branch of the union. It also said seating was too bouncy.
Cl Door frames not high enough on many lorries, causing head injuries to drivers, according to Wingate TGWU branch.
Rattling doors which do not shut properly on Leyland Dafs and ERFs; and seats which will not adjust to suit individual drivers, said a shop steward at transport giant BOC.
Other union members complained of poorly illuminated instrument panels, which were either too dark or too bright; hea ters which blow cold when the temperature outside is below freezing point and rear view mirrors which got covered in water after the windscreen washer had been used.
According to the TGWU, manufacturers at the meeting, which included Scania and Iveco Ford, pointed out that they rarely had the chance of getting feedback from drivers, as opposed to buyers, of their trucks.
But Graham Stevenson, TGWU national secretary, says there was agreement that vehicle design needed to be improved from the driver's point of view.
"We're not trying to re-invent the wheel, but it is clear from our survey of professional drivers that the working space above the wheels has never really been designed at all," says Stevenson.
"We're not blaming anybody for that, it is just the way vehicles have evolved. But it has major implications for the health and safety of drivers, as well as the safe use of the vehicles themselves."
However, according to Scania's product marketing manager David Burke, who attended the meeting, many of the trucks talked about by drivers are no longer made and today's commercial vehicles are much more driver-friendly.
"We spend millions on ergonomics, including seat and dashboard design. The driver is very important," he says.