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Wholesale change ahead

5th July 2012, Page 12
5th July 2012
Page 12
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Page 12, 5th July 2012 — Wholesale change ahead
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval becomes law in October, and trailer chief James Dennison wants more operators to realise how it will affect them

Words: Kevin Swallow

FIVE YEARS AGO the European Commission Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) created quite a stir. Seminars were hastily set up, engineers stoked EU resentment and smoothed fears in equal measures while operators seemed bemused, but today the issue barely registers.

The ECWVTA established parameters for the manufacture of trucks and trailers within the EU. From 29 October this year, all CVs exceeding 3.5 tonnes and all categories of trailers and semitrailers must conform to its standards. This has ramifications that many operators are unaware of, according to James Dennison, (pictured) MD of Lancasterbased Dennison Trailers.

“The days of ordering a trailer and saying I want those lights, the number plate fitted here, smaller sideguards [are over]. It all has to be approved,” he says.

When a major customer wants to know all about ECWVTA, it opens their eyes and they realise things are going to change, he says. There are three types of approval manufacturers must adhere to: Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA), National Small Series Type Approval (NSSTA) and Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA).

WVTA is approval of whole vehicles with no limits on production and is accepted throughout the EU, replacing national systems such as Germany’s TUV that validates the safety of all roadgoing vehicles on German roads. Once achieved, only updates to a specific standard or manufacturer-design changes require new approval tests.

The manufacturer produces a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) for each unit manufactured, and for most UK trailer manufacturers, including Dennison Trailers, WVTA will be the most common route to market.

Other regulations

Manufacturers of smaller volumes might opt for NSSTA, a UK national scheme designed for domestic sales. There are several relaxed technical requirements, a reduced Conformity of Production (CoP) requirement, and less administrative requirements. Should Dennison, for example, choose this option, annual production would be limited to 250.

IVA is another domestic scheme for manufacturing or importing single vehicles or small numbers. It doesn’t require CoP and vehicles are inspected by Vosa or the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland.

For a manufacturer like Dennison, there are four main areas: active safety, which includes steering, braking, spray suppression and tyres; lighting, which includes six categories; passive safety, which includes rear protective devices and lateral protection; and other requirements, which includes rear number plate space, statutory plates, masses and dimensions, mechanical couplings and transport of dangerous goods (ADR).

Gearing up for ECWVTA hasn’t been easy, says Dennison: just six months after it was introduced, it was redrafted. “Today, tippers and timber trailers are exempt from sideguards – under ECWVTA neither trailer is exempt. Lifting axles go. Since 2002 you shouldn’t have them anyway, as when they’re up it alters the turning circle of the trailer. Road networks, bollards, roundabouts and filters are designed to cope with the existing turning circles established. Now you can only have traction-assist axles that drop when the GVW exceeds the other axles on the trailer, or it goes over 30km/h.” Rear lighting is another major area of change. “The three indicating cheeseburger-style light goes. Today, you don’t have to fit a reversing light because it’s not part of vehicle regulations, but under ECWVTA you’ll need two and they need to be in the right place. And you’ll need one foglight. The number plate space has to be centre or left of centre, but each size (520x120mm and 340x240mm) requires approval.”

Testing the whole system

The biggest issue is the vehicle type approval brake test on the vehicle’s braking performance. All elements of the vehicle brake system are tested as a whole, not individually.

For heavier category trailers, it’s possible to approve a package of sub-system tests on foundation brake assemblies, diaphragm brake chambers, spring brakes, anti-lock system, and vehicle stability system, from which the performance of the complete vehicle brake system is calculated.

Types of brake linings, drums, and discs sold separate from a vehicle as replacement parts may be tested and type approved individually as components. Braking capacity is dictated by wheel size, which requires more tests.

Components are often a mix of brands, and each combination needs to meet approval. There can be dozens of combinations, and this is the most onerous task, according to Dennison.

“SAF has just brought a new disc brake out. The old one was approved and the new one wasn’t, so we have to start the whole process again.” The wider the choice offered by trailer manufacturers, the greater the exposure to carrying out new tests and the greater the exposure to capital expenditure.

“We can only offer so much and priority goes towards those who want the mass production trailers,” he says.

“At the moment we get all sorts of enquiries and we follow them up. With ECWVTA we won’t be able to do it because it will cost, and it could cost £5,000 to put through IVA, [so] the operator pays for it or he takes something that is currently approved.” n

ISO RATING AND CONFORMITY OF PRODUCTION (COP)

Conformity of Production (CoP) is an integral part of ECWVTA as it evaluates the manufacturing processes. Achieving a formal quality system, like ISO:9001 means the level of CoP scrutiny may be reduced.

James Dennison says: “It provides a framework for achieving operational efficiencies, cost savings, and continuous improvement. We are well on our way to achieving approval for most of our products and now produce trailers to ECWVTA standard.”


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