Western operators discuss new safety standards
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RE than 500 operator members of the RHA, TRTA, and NAWFR on Tuesday heard a forecast by Mr. W. L. Baxter, senior engineer of the Ministry of Transport, that commercial vehicles would operate at mean speeds of 60 m.p.h. in the 1970s. Mr. Baxter was speaking at Bristol to the Western area vehicle maintenance advisory committee under the chairmanship of Mr. G. H. Gardner. He was supported by Mr. E. Dunn, chief engineer of the automotive products division of Westinghouse Brake and Signal Co. Ltd., Mr. G. H. Mitchell, secretary of the RHA highways and vehicles committee, and Mr. G. Turvey, assistant secretary of the TATA.
Mr. Baxter said that lateral instability of trailers and semi-trailers during heavy braking need attention by manufacturers at the design stage. Agreed design criteria had now been established and this would help to improve compatibility between tractor and trailer brakes. He anticipated that existing commercial vehicles would be plated at Government testing stations, the oldest being done first. The programme would begin, he thought, in 1968 when most testing stations would be operating, and the entire programme should be completed in two years.
Anti-skid devices to obviate jack-knifing problems were still at the development stage, said Mr. E. Dunn, and effective devices would be expensive. But a compromise solution was possible using a device which matched the brake force on the rear axle to the load.
Mr. G. Turvey was highly critical of the failure of the Ministry to establish a system of firm type approvals five years ago. Operators had been faced with much unnecessary expense as a result. Variations in new vehicle standards, he said, penalized operators who felt they suffered because of the shortcomings of manufacturers.
Mr. Turvey said most transport managers accepted the more stringent safety regulations but they were concerned that directors and accountants were in many cases vetoing necessary expenditure on grounds of economy.
He described a new device expected to be available shortly, and realistically priced which would be fitted to vehicles and would enable vehicles to be weighed at remote sites. This would enable drivers to know the gross weight of their vehicles at all times.
Mr. G. H. Mitchell told operators that the RHA had been assured by leading vehicle and trailer makers that modification kits would be available within the next six months to bring the braking standards of existing vehicles in line with the requirements to which it was understood those vehicles would have to conform by 1968. Kits would be available within the same period to bring vehicles not more than 10 years old at the beginning of 1968 up to the more exacting standards needed by 1972.
A further undertaking from most of the heavyvehicle makers, said Mr. Mitchell, was that they would be prepared to look specially at vehicles over the above-mentioned age limit, particularly Special Types heavies.
Cost of brake conversions would vary; he gave examples of £36 15s. for a simple trailer conve sion to three-line brakes, and £250 to £300 for major change in air brakes on a tractive urn semi-trailer outfit.
During question time Mr. Baxter was asked t one operator whether he felt that the new vehic regulations might be drastically revised once agaii thus involving operators in further expense. M Baxter replied that all the devices now on tt market had been tested and appeared to satisfactory but there was no guarantee du faults involving road safety might not develc during prolonged operations. Should this occt the manufacturers would be consulted by at Ministry, and experience suggested that they wei invariably co-operative in such circumstance A further question referred to the use of Taple meters, the questioner implying that people in th trade could make the meter read whatever we desired. Mr. Baxter said that when used b technically competent persons the Tapley mett was quite adequate, and helped in the rnaintenanc of vehicles.
To determine stopping distances, said MI Baxter, you must first accurately measure th speed. Operators, he said, would be more heavil penalized than they were now if the Ministr concerned themselves with stopping distance: