+ Perth-based McLaughlan Transport has had a midlift axle fitted
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to an L-reg ERF EC1438ST tractive unit by Drinkwater Chassis Engineering. Managing director George McLaughlan says:"It's only a hunch, but I suspect that the Government will hit 4x2s extremely hard in the way that they already penalise 2+2 35-tonners. They don't want people running at 40 tonnes on five axles."
He opted for a mid-lift because its 3.8m wheelbase means that his ERF has enough space to accommodate one, he explains. Fitting a rear-lift would have meant shortening the chassis. He's had other vehicles converted too, and reports that his drivers are pleased with the results: 'They say that the trucks feel safer and more stable."
RESIDUALS
+ Speculation about Gordon Brown's plans for Vehicle Excise Duty on top-weight 4x2 tractors are doing their residual values no favours, reports Robert Reed, heavy commercials editor at the used prices guide CAP Red Book. "It's hard to tell what impact they're having though because 4x2 tractor values are so depressed anyway," he adds. "So far as any VED changes are concerned, it's pretty clear that the 2+3 configuration will be under the cosh," says Sandy Young, managing director of Kent-based KTS Trucks, and chairman of the Renault Dealer Council. He goes so far as to suggest that some used 4x2s should be marked down by 25,000 to Z6,000—the approximate cost of an axle conversion.
But Reed points out that there will still be a healthy demand for 4x25 from operators who gross out before they weigh out. As he reminds us: "A lot of hauliers simply won't need to run at 40 or 41 tonnes."