FTA backing
Page 12
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• The Freight Transport Association has decided to accept mandatory speed limiters on new trucks.
In a reversal of its previous stance, the FTA has become the first of the big trade associations to come out in favour of top speed limiters on trucks over 12 tonnes.
The decision, made by its national council last week, was because of environmental considerations, especially the need to save fuel and cut carbon dioxide emissions, says John Guttridge, FTA head of external affairs.
Safety too was a factor: "There is a new breed of vehicle with high-powered engines. They can take hills in their stride, but equally they have the power that can be abused on the level," says Guttridge.
Limiters also improve operational efficiency, he says. The "growing minority" of FTA members who already fit them report that their trucks are running more economically.
But Guttridge stresses that the association only supports speed limiters on new vehicles — it opposes retrofitting. The Road Haulage Association says it neither supports nor opposes compulsory limiters. RHA chairman Bobby Heaton already fits them to all his trucks. "The time will come when they will come in," it says. "It must be said that a lot of vehicles out there do drive faster than they are allowed."
The Transport and General Workers' Union, which represents over 100,000 lorry drivers, says it has no current policy on speed limiters, but is formulating one. The union was against tachographs.
Last month, Roads and Traffic Minister Christopher