Transport 2000 Question

[TedMaul]

Just read this article on bbc about the new Super Lorry http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8387143.stm

In it, some bloke called Stephen Joseph from Campaign for Better Transport moans about something. Didn't he used to run Transport 2000? Have they given up?

[TedMaul]

Sorry, google answered my own question, the two organisations are one and the same.

[Silent1]

What, it's nothing special Australia have been running 100 ton road trains for years.

[SmoothCriminal]

I thought those tossers in government would be rubbing their big fat bellies at the prospect of this imagine the new supertrailer tax they could create.

I don't see a problem with this as by the looks of it, it's going to be used as a trunker between big distribution centres so will mostly be on the motorways and not in town centres and as the weight is distributed over more axles wont this be easier on the road causing less damage and actually being safer?

[The Wookie]

Silent1 said:

What, it's nothing special Australia have been running 100 ton road trains for years.

Mostly along big, straight, empty roads I'd imagine rather than congested motorways. I also believe they have a reputation for not being the safest devices rolling along the earth

Personally I can't see the problem if the weight isn't any higher and its manoevrability and handling don't suffer

[Parrot of Doom]

Government in "can't just make life easy and has to fuddle everything with bureaucracy" shocker!

[v8will]

Parrot of Doom said:

Government in "can't just make life easy and has to fuddle everything with bureaucracy" shocker!

Destroy the home transport industry so foreign companies can move in and price us out of our own market......

[The Wookie]

Parrot of Doom said:

Government in "can't just make life easy and has to fuddle everything with bureaucracy" shocker!

Not gospel, and it's 2nd hand but I've heard it said more than once (originally from my lecturers when I was studying Automotive Eng) that plenty of new cars rolled out don't precisely fit all of the numerous and tedious laws set out by the regulatory bodies, particularly on some of the more innovative machines to appear.

They basically said that if it fits all of the obvious and important bits and it's generally an inherently safe design then it gets type approval. There's only a question when there are significant fears about the safety of a design that the legislation ends up getting looked into further, otherwise the government bods just slot it in under whatever subsection best fits.

It isn't beyond the realms of possibility that the government are worried there's a loophole that's being exploited for this vehicle that could eventually allow haulage companies to legally go above the 44 tonnes we all know and love, which is probably used in the design of road safety equipment and road building. Either that or the government wants to eventually allow this sort of vehicle, but wants that manufacturer to spend its own money proving it's safe

All complete speculation, and I agree with the idea of the vehicle, but I suspect there's more going on here than meets the eye.