[G-CPTN]

the event at the Millbrook proving ground in Bedfordshire last week was an opportunity to give practical demonstrations of the longer vehicle.
Guests at the event were shown the turning circle and rear swing of the longer artic (using a 14.9m-long Kögel Big- MAXX trailer) compared with a unit using a standard 13.6m trailer and a drawbar outfit of 18.75m.
However, a note of caution was voiced by Simon Chamberlain, MD of Crewe-based Chamberlain Transport, who also sits on Iveco's project steering group. He says he is particularly concerned that the new trailers will not be "payload neutral" (i.e. there will be no overall weight increase to compensate for the extra weight of the longer trailer). He adds: "My customers who already weigh-out aren't going to accept an 800kg reduction in payload to satisfy my other customers who want an increase in capacity. But if my customer who is cubing-out wants that extra space, then I have got to look at it.
"We have got to be very careful otherwise we will end up with a situation where we are only able to do certain loads." Chamberlain is also deputy chairman of the Transport Association and says the majority of its members share his views on the topic. For its part, Montracon, Iveco's trailer partner in the project, anticipates that a longer trailer would cost £1,000-£1,500 more than a 13.6m model.
Paul Mead, the firm's sales and marketing director, says he has been approached by snack food manufacturer Walkers Crisps about the possibility of a longer standard. He adds: "They will appeal mainly to a certain segment of road transport and it will be mainly own-account operators who derive the most value from it." He warns that general hauliers should not be bullied into giving away any extra revenue they can earn from the longer units. A DfT-sponsored study into the effects of an increase in trailer length of up to 2.05m is due to report in December.

From (and more at):- http://www.roadtransport.com/Article...est-track.html