Vehicle Testing

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Due to the irrational method of vehicle testing in the EU, there is a new consultation document that will allow stakeholders to make their points know.

As it is, the UK vehicle parc has to be MOT tested every year except for cars when it is valid for the first 3 years of its life. Nothing is going to change there but there are many countries in the Union who have massive disparity between the others.

For instance, France doesn’t test its cars for the first 4 years and then 2 years after that, they do not test motorcycles and scooters at all, some countries test newer vehicles more frequently and less as they get older :open_mouth:

it seems that most of the vehicles will now be tested on a 3.1.1 basis like the UK already does. Brilliant a change that doesn’t affect us.

However I did spot one bit about electronic safety aids becoming part of roadside testing. That could very easily mean ABS / EBS. At the moment they only look for a warning lamp, but if they are using a box of tricks, I reckon they would find fault with about 90% of the trailers on the road.

Article 2

For the purposes of this Directive:

(a) “commercial vehicle” shall mean those motor vehicles and trailers defined in categories 1, 2 and 3 of Annex I to Directive 96/96/EC;

(b) “technical roadside inspection” shall mean an inspection of a technical nature, not announced by the authorities and therefore unexpected, of a commercial vehicle circulating within the territory of a Member State carried out on the public highway by the authorities, or under their supervision;

(c) “roadworthiness test” shall mean a test of a vehicle’s technical roadworthiness as provided for in Annex II to Directive 96/96/EC.

I also saw a suggestion that trailer sunder 3.5tonne might be tested, that may give the anti caravan lobby something to smile about :wink:

Read the abridged document here;

ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safe … ase_en.htm

Mark Heverin, Department for Transport

2

this is what I’ve been sent via email. looks like the EU wants to test caravans and car trailers, as well as a lot of other things which will all add to our cost of motoring, and you can bet your life our government will lie down and take it all…

content.govdelivery.com/bulletin … OSA-4e8f6b

3

Wheel Nut:
Due to the irrational method of vehicle testing in the EU, there is a new consultation document that will allow stakeholders to make their points know.

As it is, the UK vehicle parc has to be MOT tested every year except for cars when it is valid for the first 3 years of its life. Nothing is going to change there but there are many countries in the Union who have massive disparity between the others.

For instance, France doesn’t test its cars for the first 4 years and then 2 years after that, they do not test motorcycles and scooters at all, some countries test newer vehicles more frequently and less as they get older :open_mouth:

it seems that most of the vehicles will now be tested on a 3.1.1 basis like the UK already does. Brilliant a change that doesn’t affect us.

However I did spot one bit about electronic safety aids becoming part of roadside testing. That could very easily mean ABS / EBS. At the moment they only look for a warning lamp, but if they are using a box of tricks, I reckon they would find fault with about 90% of the trailers on the road.

Article 2

For the purposes of this Directive:

(a) “commercial vehicle” shall mean those motor vehicles and trailers defined in categories 1, 2 and 3 of Annex I to Directive 96/96/EC;

(b) “technical roadside inspection” shall mean an inspection of a technical nature, not announced by the authorities and therefore unexpected, of a commercial vehicle circulating within the territory of a Member State carried out on the public highway by the authorities, or under their supervision;

(c) “roadworthiness test” shall mean a test of a vehicle’s technical roadworthiness as provided for in Annex II to Directive 96/96/EC.

I also saw a suggestion that trailer sunder 3.5tonne might be tested, that may give the anti caravan lobby something to smile about :wink:

Read the abridged document here;

ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safe … ase_en.htm

Mark Heverin, Department for Transport

Thanks for posting I will be looking into this further.

4

Wheel Nut:
I also saw a suggestion that trailer sunder 3.5tonne might be tested, that may give the anti caravan lobby something to smile about :wink:

I’m not one to paint everything with a 6" paintbrush, so my comment doesn’t relate to all caravan owners…

IMHO caravans and small trailers should come into the testing scheme, because some of them are so badly maintained that they simply shouldn’t be allowed on the roads.

:bulb: Of course, responsible caravan and trailer owners should have nothing to fear.

5

As someone who regually tows 3.5 tonne trailers wtih a 4x4 i would be glad to see some sort of mandtry testing for them as the state or alot of them including hire trailers is very questionable, and some of the ones i see on the road really shouldnt be there.
The problem I can see is that to make the system work all trailers will have to be registerd and have some sort of chassis number assigned, this could cause problmes for home built trailers
Also think there should be testing for all farm equiptment over 3 years old as i see alsorts of rust buckets being pulled/driven along on bald tyres with no lights and missing mud guards

6

All braked trailers should be tested imo, its suprising that trailers dont have their own number plate aswell, dont italy do this?

7

Saaamon:
All braked trailers should be tested imo, its suprising that trailers dont have their own number plate aswell, dont italy do this?

Over-run brakes, fitted to most <3.5t trailers would be difficult to brake test beyond inspection. You could use a deccelerometer but the result would be mostly down to tow vehicle brake efficiency. You could do the tow vehicle first on it’s own and then again in combination to get more of an idea of the effect of the trailer but it would start being a big pain to do the whole thing with loading/unloading trailers and hitching unhitching.

8

Own Account Driver:

Saaamon:
All braked trailers should be tested imo, its suprising that trailers dont have their own number plate aswell, dont italy do this?

Over-run brakes, fitted to most <3.5t trailers would be difficult to brake test beyond inspection. You could use a deccelerometer but the result would be mostly down to tow vehicle brake efficiency. You could do the tow vehicle first on it’s own and then again in combination to get more of an idea of the effect of the trailer but it would start being a big pain to do the whole thing with loading/unloading trailers and hitching unhitching.

Would have though you could put the trailer on rollers with sompthing against the back of it then push the hitch in and measure the efficience

9

Own Account Driver:

Saaamon:
All braked trailers should be tested imo, its suprising that trailers dont have their own number plate aswell, dont italy do this?

Over-run brakes, fitted to most <3.5t trailers would be difficult to brake test beyond inspection. You could use a deccelerometer but the result would be mostly down to tow vehicle brake efficiency. You could do the tow vehicle first on it’s own and then again in combination to get more of an idea of the effect of the trailer but it would start being a big pain to do the whole thing with loading/unloading trailers and hitching unhitching.

Yeah i spose they would be, perharps like someone sugested, a yearly service and inspection with a ticket afterwards to say its roadworthy.

I also believe people with pre 97 licenses should have at the very least some basic training like they do with mopeds before there allowed to tow, seems crazy really.

10

i have to agree with testing older drivers with caravans , some never towed one until they retired . i was filling up at morrisons in fort william last year behind a very new jag with equally new caravan (very caravan club ) old bloke jumped in the jag , executed a sharp right turn to exit the pumps , and took out two petrol pumps with the backswing . he couldn’t understand what had happened , but i’ll bet his insurance premiums would be up a little next time he renewed , cheers , dave

11

rigsby:
i have to agree with testing older drivers with caravans , some never towed one until they retired . i was filling up at morrisons in fort william last year behind a very new jag with equally new caravan (very caravan club ) old bloke jumped in the jag , executed a sharp right turn to exit the pumps , and took out two petrol pumps with the backswing . he couldn’t understand what had happened , but i’ll bet his insurance premiums would be up a little next time he renewed , cheers , dave

I dont think it matters what age you are, how can it be ok to let someone loose with a decent size trailer with no training.

12

Some of the worst i`ve seen are the small tippers with a roller or compressor on the back, some dont even have lights fitted, then there are those who have lights but they dont work. Personally i dont have an issue with caravanners, as most seem to be quite good drivers/towers, i suppose those who complain about them, have a class 1, dislike them anyway, and have never been a caravanner…so stop whingeing, they are entitled to use the road the same as us, and to do with their leisure time as they wish, may not suit all, but it certainly suits them.

13

personally i did 42 year on heavy goods , so a caravan is no problem . i was referring to retired bank managers and the like who decide to buy a caravan and go touring .they have never driven anything that big before and don’t seem to think that they have anything to learn . most of them have to fit motor movers so they can park them on a site . if you can’t reverse the vehicle you shouldn’t be driving it , cheers , dave

14

A quick google shows me that theres roughly half a million caravans used on the road in the uk. At say £30 a pop for an MOT thats 15 million generated into the economy from fresh air. There’s no doubt in my mind that its probably not required as a saftey issue because if it was we’d already have the neccesary legislation in place for saftey reasons. Instead ‘stakeholders’ are invited to express their opinions in a ‘consultation’. You couldn’t make it up !!!

15

Saaamon:

rigsby:
i have to agree with testing older drivers with caravans , some never towed one until they retired . i was filling up at morrisons in fort william last year behind a very new jag with equally new caravan (very caravan club ) old bloke jumped in the jag , executed a sharp right turn to exit the pumps , and took out two petrol pumps with the backswing . he couldn’t understand what had happened , but i’ll bet his insurance premiums would be up a little next time he renewed , cheers , dave

I dont think it matters what age you are, how can it be ok to let someone loose with a decent size trailer with no training.

And you two in all your wisdom and experience have never seen a truck driver who has had training take anything out with his trailer ?

16

seen plenty mike , done it myself as well , but i was referring to untrained and clueless drivers who have no idea of what could happen if they take a certain action . i reckon that a large percentage of accidents involving caravans are not caused by mechanical defect just simple bad driving and ignorance , cheers , dave

17

Judging by the huge numbers of upside down car/caravan combos littering the lanes of our motorways during holiday time, I must say that a bit of education and testing of caravans would probably be a good thing.

Obviously it won’t stop all accidents but it surely will reduce the number.

I can honestly say that I hate the holiday season because there are so many more delays at all times of the day and night due to caravanners ending their holidays upside down on their way to the campsite.

18

I suspect a lot of caravan accidents aren’t down to a defective or poorly maintained caravan but rather poor loading like putting bikes and other things at the back past the axle.

It’s things like shoddily maintained and loaded Ifor Williams type trailers like flat-beds and car trailers that worry me more.

19

as a mot tester, i would like to see all trailer’s put through a mot, no sod that, every vehicle that can be used on the road need’s to have an mot, all trailer’s, from the homebrew made in the back garden, to the farm trailer’s that don’t have any brake’s or lights’ etc… plant equipment like roller’s, dump truck’s etc, that way no one can play the
“why do i have to get my crappy trailer with no working light, and a bald tyre mot’d, when joebloggconstructon over the road’s dumper truck don’t need to be mot’d” card…

as for the testing the trailer brake’s, here’s how it might be done, trailer stay’s hooked up the the car the trailer wheel’s are droped in the brake roller’s, and as the roller’s are turning, the tester would apply the trailer brake’s by using hand brake on the trailer. as for working out the brake efficency, most brake roller’s weigh the axle that is being tested, (used on class 7/large van’s as vehicle weight to change due to load),
the minium efficency required for most vehicle’s is 50% of the brake weight, ie a car that weigh’s 1000kg, must produce a minium of 500kg of brake force.

and as for vin’s and reg plate’s, most production built trailer’s do have a vin plate on them, and for mot purpose’s you can mot on a vin/chassis plate only. and the test station already print the mot certificate off on plain paper, so why can’t we print a trailer v5 and issue a no plate number as well, 99% can get plate’s made, that way the trailer is also traceable back to the owner as well…