READERS WRITE
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UK vehicles in Denmark
YOUR ARTICLE in COMMERCIAL MOTOR (May 12) dealing with British vehicles in Scandinavia makes most interesting reading. In fairness to the Royal Danish Post Office I think it should be known that they are users of British commercial vehicles on a far larger scale than indicated by the note in your article on page 98. Our company alone, as distributors in Denmark for the BMC range of vehicles, has during the past five years received orders from the Post Office for over 550 vans mostly of the type shown in this photograph—Morris Minor 1000 vans. However, we have also delivered a fair number of Morris14 and Mini vans.
It may also interest you to know that the Falck Zonen Organization has ordered six Morris FG 6-cyl. ambulances with Wadhams fibre glass bodies, while the Copenhagen Municipal Hospital has ordered four Morris LD ambulances with Wadhams fibre glass bodies. Well over a year ago, at our suggestion, Wadhams sent a demonstration ambulance over in the charge of their Mr. Terry and we toured the country with it, and naturally we are pleased that we have been able to pass these orders on to Wadhams as an indirect result of their enterprise and co-operation.
Our organization last year sold over 12,000 BMC units through our network of dealers covering the whole of Denmark.
ALBERT E. CHRISTENSEN, Director, Dansk OversOisk Motor Industri A/S, Glostrup, Denmark.
Jack-knifing : Dual answer
I HAVE followed with great interest recent reports in COMMERCIAL MOTOR on the subject of jack-knifing by articulated vehicles; the "copy" used in advertisements you carry for load-sensing valves; and the report of a recent demonstration jointly put on by a brake manufacturer and a trailer manufacturer.
Let me say at once that I am delighted by the interest the industry is showing in this safety factor. (In passing, when we published our own report on the subject eight months ago such abuse was hurled on us from some quarters that I suspected that "jackknife" was a dirty word. It is gratifying, in hindsight, to see that we were right to draw public attention to it.) While most sensible people owning or operating artics now agree that something has to be done to eradicate the jack-knife, there seems to be a difference of opinion as to how best this should be done. The Hope anti-jack-knife device is being specified by more and more operators who swear by nothing else. On the other hand, other operators swear by load-sensing valves and nothing else.
It seems pertinent to remind both schools of thought that in our view both should be fitted and that, furthermore, these
mechanical aids should be supported by better driver training.
The big danger of load-sensing valves is that they require regular and thorough maintenance. The Germans recognize this which is why they insist on a Government check of the system every six months. The largest commercial fleet in Western Germany has reported that there is a high outlay in parts and labour to keep up with official requirements and, in fact, changes all the valves throughout its fleet annually.
Unless similar standards are introduced in this country there is a danger of drivers taking out artics under a sense of false security. Surely the answer is load sensing (properly maintained), and an anti-jack-knife device. The public image of the artic is being tarnished by the accidents caused by jack-knifing which one reads about or sees reported on television news at least several times a week.
Worse, the human suffering and financial loss involved is both tragic and needless—particularly when the solution is self-evident. JAMES TYE, Controller, British Safety Council.
That nasty word
I THINK that Mrs. Castle has insulted the members of the passenger transport industry by trying to cover that nasty word "nationalization" with a game of Transport Authority blind man's bluff. The members of the industry already know what she has in store and as the heads of bus companies and several independent operators have already said, she should leave well alone. I agree that she does not know how to run a bus company.
There are many examples of pooling and co-operation. In some cases these appear to be faced with a nasty death and a great deal of hard work over the last 30 years looks likely to be ruined.
D. L. MORGAN, Whitehall Road, Caldmore, Walsall, Staffs.
Explanation, please
THE LETTER from Mr. R. E. G. Brown published in your issue of April 21 highlights the very real need which exists among operators, dealers and manufacturers alike for a simplified guide to transport law.
As he suggests, it is indeed desirable that the Acts themselves should be written in precisc legal language incapable of misinterpretation though unfortunately this high purpose is not always achieved anyway.
It would however be most helpful if the legalists who produce the Acts should at the same time issue in simple layman's language a general explanation of what they are seeking to establish.
Such a document could be clearly indicated as having no legal standing but would be "by way of explanation only".
Mr. Brown's organization, the TRTA, might do well to make representations for such documents to be prepared.
He quotes from the Construction and Use Regulations but I think my two favourite examples of incomprehensible legalese are contained in the Motor Vehicles Authorization of Special Types General Order 1966.
Article 29 (6) of this statutory instrument comprises well over 250 words without a full stop among them and includes four crossreferences to other Acts and has more relative clauses than Dickens ever dreamt of.
Anyone who becomes lost in this maze may however turn for refreshment to Article 20 which is a little easier to understand and contains the following delightful definition:—
"Special road means a special road which is open for use as a special road."
F. W. KNIGHT, Sales Director, Taskers of Andover (1932) Ltd.. Hampshire.