I am interested in the longer trailer debate that is due to be announced in February.
Are you a driver? are you expecting to be paid more?
Are you a contractor? will you be able to charge more?
Are you a trailer builder or repairer? are you hoping for a boost to your business?
Please answer the poll, and put anything relevant in the thread 
Carryfart, if you mention 65 tonne double drives with leaky green engines I shall forever disown you 
the engines were yellowâŚ
bobthedog:
the engines were yellowâŚ
Sorry Bob. I always trust you, but in this case, it was pre 71 and I went Googling and found this, look at the comment about the oil, â â â â â â â myself
So the trailers?
Longer or not?
Im an employed driver, my company is choking for more space on trailers they have been pressurising the government for the last few years. But then you look at the back boxes of drawbars laying idle and you wonder 
Its all good saying the meet turning requirements but trying to reverse of the street into a tight gate is another matter 
I doubt iâll get paid more as we are going to start deckers in the next few weeks and im not getting paid more for that extra hassle.
Our firm is not known for being in the vangaurd of technology. Apart from the two DDâs which go to the hub every night, all the other trailers are doing multi drop work and many of the premesis are pretty tight for a standard trailer.
In the pallet system world I can see that depots far away from the hub would have most to gain from longer DDâs, although weight would always be a problem.
three of ours are still on springs so i donât the boss will be spashing out if it gets the o.k.
Longer trailers= less movements = lower wages.
Be good business for street furniture manufacturers.
What about all the tight yards that you deliver/load at where you just about get in or backing on a bay is a right [zb] because itâs so tight & city centre driving doesnât allow for much extra . Itâs all very well saying itâs only 4â extra but thats still even more overhang & front swing for us that drive daily in the real world
heres an article for ya to feed ya eyes upon
Stobart ready to go longer
An increase to the limits on trailer lengths will benefit all operators, according to Stobart Group chief executive Andrew Tinkler.
Following transport minister Mike Penningâs statement to the House of Commons earlier this month that the DfT was âcarefully consideringâ proposals to extend the length of vehicles, Stobart has shown MT how it believes longer trailers could work for a variety of its customers.
At 14.55m, Stobartâs extended semi-trailer with a rear steering axle is just 95cms longer than a 13.6m trailer, and complies with all existing turning circle regulations. It can carry 51 roller cages rather than the traditional 45, and 28 rather than 26 standard pallets.
Tinkler says that on some contracts the increased length will allow it to cube out without exceeding current weight limits - resulting in a 13% reduction in running costs for roller cages and 8% on pallet movements.
âIt has taken quite a lot of work to look at how extended trailers will benefit our customers,â he says, âbut it depends on there being no extra weight. If you take Coca-Cola for example, there is extra weight in taking on a longer trailer so you have to match it to the business plan. If we are moving empty Coke bottles then we can utilise a longer trailer fully.â
He also warns that it would be essential for customers to understand that they could not take the extra volumes from a longer trailer for free; the company estimates that its longer trailer will cost ÂŁ1,500 more.
Stobart Group is also looking at double-deck trailer options, as well as bull-nosed cabs with standard trailers to improve aerodynamics and reduce fuel consumption, if the DfT gives the go-ahead for an increase in overall vehicle lengths.
Last week the RHA said it expects the DfT to settle on a maximum trailer length of 15.65m and called on ministers to publish the long-awaited report on longer trailers. The RHA says it is being âkept in the darkâ on the issue and accuses Penning of putting the interests of the supermarkets and Stobart ahead of smaller operators.
MT understands the DfTâs decision on longer trailers is expected by the end of February.
When I first got a job driving CDL A class over here I was mortified on my very first run which happened to be from Glens falls NY to Willmington MA and found the trailer was 52 feet long 13 meter Tesco trailers seemed big enough for me untill then. Add to the 52 feet a tractor that was sticking out another 20 feet and it seemed an almost nightmarish senario 
It can be worrying at first but you do get used to the long and un-manouverable things eventually, I have navigated them through the narrowest of city streets on my travels, if you canât get round a bend due to cars being there you just sit there untill the fool moves his damm car or gets hit.
I would imagine that Europe being far more advanced in vehicle technology, which it most deffinately is, will have far more manouverable trailers than the behemoths we have to put up with over here.
found the trailer was 52 feet long
Handball job?
Dose that mean if we get longer trailers and firm dont want them they can
have bigger cabs instead . Thats means more scania longlines for
shuttlespanker to drool over . 
He is going to be
in HEAVEN
Apologies, Malc. Thought you meant Kitty CATSâŚ
If this system is anything to go by it seems they can be made to handle well enough at 15.65 metres but the length would still be a problem for a lot of jobs.
I would like to have a go driving bigger stuff, big boys toys and all that, but in practise bigger trailers would mean less drivers and lower wages, which is not what we need.
If they were for use trunking on motorways etc then not a problem, but we all know that they will have to go anywhere and that will be where the fun starts. Asda at Dartford is a good example, mirrors, cabs etc. getting demolished unless these places employ banksmen to supervise.
From an environmental point of view Iâm in favour of kit like this bit I canât understand why companies are so keen to see it introduced. Any initial financial gain will soon be wiped out as customers catch on/firms start undercutting each other. As usual the bigger outfits are more likely to be able to take advantage of this. I can think of a previous gaffer I worked for and his yard would not be able to accommodate these bigger outfits.
All looked very easy didnt it ? Does the axle always steer or can it be locked I wonder. I agree that any financial advantage will soon be voided by rate cutters but I can see definate advantages for low loader operators who dont want to go special types.