No one is certain what benefits will result
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TERRY GOLDRICK, the FTA's director of engineering services, in his afternoon presentation reminded the audience of a man called Arthur Armitage and said that "of the 58 proposals in the Armitage Report, 23 were concerned with civilising the lorry."
Mr Goldrick went on to des cribe the restrictions resulting from the Report which are either in force already or are soon to be applied.
These were new braking regulations to the EEC standard; spray reduction devices on which there is likely soon to be a British Standard; under-run guards all round vehicles (and Terry thought some exemptions in this legislation logical and some illogical. Tankers, for example, have to be fitted with sideguards "only so far as is practical," UK tippers will not need sideguards at all; in France such vehicles must have two each side); and a height limit of 4.2m but with "realistic exemptions."
If one part of the increased weight legislation has caused confusion it is this height limit. Terry Goldrick took time at Woodcote Park to clarify it, explaining that it only applied to articulated vehicles with an actual laden weight (not plated weight) exceeding 32.5 tonnes and it only applied to "the structure of the vehicle." Closed containers are considered to be part of the vehicle structure as far as the height limit is concerned but a load protruding from an open-topped container is not restricted.
Included in Terry Goldrick's list of "civilising measures" were noise and exhaust emission-reducing legislation and the proposal for vehicle-mounted axle-weighing devices. The cost of these, he estimated, could be about £450 per axle.
In his summary, Terry Goldrick pointed out the major features of the next step in the road transport legislation calendar on May 1 this year. From that date, five-axled vehicles will be able to run at 38 tonnes gcw but will require sideguards, while side guards and under-run bumpers will be required on all new trailers. Also from May 1 all new 32-ton-plus vehicles will be plated at their design weights; virtually any new trailer will require sideguards; and heavier vehicles plated before May 1 can retain existing 32 tons plate.
Again the workshop returned to the subject of costs when a questioner wondered why Terry Goldrick had strayed from the "operating cost benefits" title of presentation. Like all other speakers Mr Goldrick had to concede that he had no 38/32 ton running cost comparisons and he felt sure that no one else did. It was revealed, though, that the FTA is currently working on a suitable computer program.