Two-line brakes to become standard?
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• While the French three-line braking system is different in important details to the UK system, other countries of the EEC specify a two-line system and British Leyland believes that in the longer term the two-line system may be standardized, Mr A. T. Webster, director of sales and marketing, British Leyland (UK) Ltd, told the annual luncheon of the East Midland area of the RHA.
Talking about other legislative problems, Mr Webster said that British Leyland considered a driving axle ground-weight of between 10 and 10.5 tons to be adequate to permit the company to design an efficient maximum-capacity haulage vehicle.
On this basis, he said, British Leyland could produce units capable of operating at 40 metric tons and a derivative range of two and three-axled rigids in line with existing practice.
Mr Webster considered that the proposals already under discussion involving a gvw /driving axle ratio of 3.5 to 1 to be right, but he warned that it could cause problems for a single-drive maximum-capacity unit; two-axled tractive units under this formula could suffer a restriction on total operating weight.
Mr Webster foresaw power weight ratios of nine or even 10 bhp /ton becoming mandatory, and turbocharging of power units making a significant contribution to solving the pollution problem.