Transport_Engineer_October_2018.pdf

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IN THIS ISSUE
❱
Demountable
gritters give
municipal trucks
a summer break
❱
Show and tell:
Euro Bus Expo
and IAA news
Features
October 2018
12
15
TREADING LIGHTLY
The case for 4x2 tractors
COVER STORY
Is three a crowd?
The three-axle tractor unit is the undisputed king of the
road in the UK. Peter Shakespeare asks whether the
4x2 deserves a second look
Renault Trucks has launched a 6.0-tonne Master 6x2 as
an alternative to the default 7.5-tonne truck, and also the
3.5-tonne van, reports Dan Gilkes
Detailed show news from Cummins and Mercedes-Benz,
plus brief news from WABCO, Knorr-Bremse, Jacobs
Vehicle Solutions and others
A new 6x2 van conversion
Regulars
3
Comment
5
News
• Eddie Stobart joins Network
Rail’s bridge strike campaign
• RHA and Vision Express
highlight need for eye tests
• Letters: Tail-lift safety;
Depot-wide TPMS
• CV technicians win awards
• Seat tests double truck-
trailer combination in Spain
17
25
28
31
35
39
IAA review
Workshop Accreditation
The IRTE’s scheme provides an impartial assessment of
the quality of dealer-affiliated and independent garages
across the UK, finds Steve Banner
Budget cuts are forcing some authorities to fit gritting
equipment to vehicles ostensibly used for other work.
Some councils are making dual-purpose municipal
vehicles work. Chris Tindall spreads the news
Winter preparation
42
Engineer to engineer
BUS AND COACH
Electric drivelines: profile of BYD
• Unipart chooses Microlise
• Actros wins for Yearsley
Logistics on whole-life costs
• Brakes’ van emissions
reduced in GTL fuel trial
• Rental firm Petit Forestier’s
first electric vans include
refrigeration units
BYD is fast becoming the dominant global electric
bus manufacturer, thanks partly to the vast scale of its
Chinese battery manufacturing production base.
Steve Banner visits the site, in Shenzhen, Guangdong
province
46
Technology update
The biennial coach and bus event returns to the NEC.
News from ADL, Optare, Scania, TotalKare, Eminox, ZF
Services, Alfatronix, Freeway, TruTac, BASE, and more
Euro Bus Expo, 30 October-1 November
preview
• Cabin gym helps maintain
driver fitness
• Tyre news roundup
• Brake news roundup
• ZF bus e-axle retrofit deal
Aftermarket brakes
48
Legal update
October 2018
www.transportengineer.org.uk
When replacing braking materials, the obvious choice is to
go for original equipment (OE) products. But a number of
‘premium’ aftermarket suppliers reckon they can save you
money without compromising safety or performance.
Toby Clark investigates
1
Published by
The Society of Operations Engineers
President
Howard Seymour
CEng CEnv FSOE FIPlant FIRTE
Chief Executive
Bruce McGill
The Society of Operations Engineers is a
licensed member of the Engineering Council.
Registered in England
Company No 3667147
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No 1081753
A Company Limited by Guarantee
Registered Office
22 Greencoat Place, London SW1P 1PR
Tel: 020 7630 1111
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Email: soe@soe.org.uk
www.soe.org.uk
Editor
Will Dalrymple
Email: will.dalrymple@markallengroup.com
Contributing Editors
Steve Banner, John Challen,
Toby Clark, Laura Cork, Dan Gilkes,
Peter Shakespeare, Richard Simpson,
Kevin Swallow, Chris Tindall,
Brian Weatherley
Art Editor
Chris Charles
Production Manager
Nicki McKenna
Email: nicki.mckenna@markallengroup.com
Advertisement Manager
Craig Molloy
Email: craig.molloy@markallengroup.com
Tel: 01322 221144
Publisher
Jon Benson
Transport Engineer
is the official journal of the IRTE,
a professional sector of the SOE.
Produced on behalf of the IRTE by
MA Business
Hawley Mill, Hawley Road,
Dartford, Kent DA2 7TJ
Tel: 01322 221144
www.transportengineer.org.uk
Transport Engineer
is distributed free of charge to SOE members,
dependent on membership sector. For
non-members, the annual subscription rate
(12 issues) is £79.50 UK and EU, or £81.50
airmail outside EU. For other SOE members,
the discounted rate is £32.
Origination by
CC Media Group
Printed by
Pensord Press UK
ISSN
0020-3122
Some of the articles and guidance included in
Transport Engineer
may make a contribution
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Views expressed in
Transport Engineer
are
those of the writers and do not necessarily
reflect the views of The Society of Operations
Engineers or of MA Business.
© 2018 The Society of Operations Engineers
Wise up
O
ctober marks the halfway point in Network Rail’s campaign ‘Wise
Up, Size Up’ to reduce the incidents of bridge strikes in England;
there were 1,801 across its network alone last year. Also, November
happens to be a full two years since the Ordnance Survey updated its OS
MasterMap Highways Network to include many large vehicle hazards,
such as low bridges. This data supplies satnav maps. Other specialist
resources includes online services such as the Pie London Lorry Control
scheme, now rolled out nationwide: Freight Journey Planner(.co.uk).
Speaking of milestones, more than 30 years has passed since trucks
over 3m high have been required by law to display a maximum height
notice in the cab. This is also good practice; trailer heights do vary, and
their drivers are likely to be swapping trailers and vehicles all the time, so
a handy reminder is no bad thing.
The trouble is, bridge strikes have not decreased, at least since
2000/1. With good data available and legal incentives in place, why not?
Maybe drivers consider manually measuring the rig as a waste of time.
If so, many height measuring apps are now available for smartphones
to estimate the height of nearby objects. Whether they could be relied
upon in the field, however, would need to be proven. Perhaps a sensor
mounted on the cab roof facing backward could do this job automatically.
Or perhaps the real issue is last-minute panic; stressed, disorientated
drivers simply forget. It’s true that Eddie Stobart, one of the dozen
companies participating in ‘Wise Up’ (see p5), is reminding drivers by
offering warnings on coffee cups, air fresheners, keyrings and cab stickers.
In the case of a distracted driver, a last-ditch emergency warning
system might help. Trucks might already have the means to do this: for
example, the new Actros (p18) can recognise traffic signs. Couldn’t they
be modified to read tunnel heights as well? If so, the system would need
to identify the tunnel height sign, read it, compare that with the vehicle’s
height, and warn the driver if the gap between them is too close. (Drivers
would still need to be persuaded to put in an accurate height.)
Current bridge strike countermeasures aren’t working. It’s time to try
something new. Do it for self-interest, if for no other reason. Following
some recent legal successes, Network Rail is now claiming back the cost
of bridge strikes (which average £13,000 each) direct from operators.
Will Dalrymple
Editor
October 2018
www.transportengineer.org.uk
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