Bulk trailers GETTING A VIEW ON DIRECT VISION

TfL’s consultation on the Progressive Safe System that will be required on all trucks rated less than three stars for direct vision under phase 2 of the Direct Vision Standard, which comes into effect in 2024, says: “Articulated Vehicles – Sensor systems must ensure full coverage of the nearside of the tractor unit and the semi-trailer. Semi-trailer sensors must be suitably positioned to provide sufficient coverage but preventing activation solely on articulation of the trailer. Sensor systems must ensure full coverage of the nearside of the tractor unit and semi-trailer. Sensors must have a range of two metres of lateral coverage” whether trailers have the Progressive Safe System (PSS) fitted. Currently, number plate recognition cameras correspond to a DVS safety permit, but trailers do not have vehicle registrations so it may be difficult to police. their blind spot with a detection of up to 2m away. The system can identify that the vehicle has a trailer and it knows when the truck is turning, so indicator selection is not required to activate the system. Most importantly the system is predictive and therefore only warns the driver if a collision is likely, via a visual display in the cab. This means no more false alerts. n What safety equipment do customers already require bulk operators to fit to artics before allowing them on site?

The other issue is that trailers are interchangeable and may pass between operators. Who, then, does the responsibility lie with if a truck is hauling a trailer that does not have a PSS fitted?

Safety systems provider Brigade Electronics says that in practice this will mean improved safety for cyclists and other vulnerable road users. There has never been a focus on trailers before.

The technology specified is much more intelligent than systems that were on the market in 2022 and prior, and will revolutionise trailer safety.

The question is how TfL will monitor n How easy will it be to eliminate blind spots as an artic turns left and the trailer blocks the driver’s nearside view?

Brigade welcomes improved safety but has made some suggestions and highlighted concerns as part of the consultation process.

The current radar solution that Brigade will be launching this year will detect the cyclist and therefore reduce the risk of a collision, by alerting the driver that something is in compensation for all of that is very challenging.

“From a practical point of view, moving floors tend to be higher sided to accommodate the low-density material. They can be too high for some loading methods, perhaps under a hopper or a low-lift front bucket loader.”

Running the numbers

The market for tipper and moving floor trailers seems to be fairly consistent. Butler at Weightlifter reckons the tipper trailer market is around 1,000 units in a normal year. “In 2019 it was nearer 1,200 and about 1,100 the year before that,” he says. “But there is a replacement cycle and people need to replace units. If you have a couple of years at 700 there are probably 600 trailers that have not gone into the market and will need replacing.”

Currently operators tend to belong to either FORS or CLOCS, or need to meet DVS or HS2 requirements. Systems for those specifications include camera monitors or 360-degree systems, sidescan sensors for the nearside, an audible alert to warn cyclists that a truck is turning left and an audible alert to warn the driver that something is in their blind spots. FORS and HS2 require a reversing alarm and a rear camera is required for vehicles over 7.5 tonnes. FORS and HS2 also state that camera monitor systems should be able to digitally record camera footage.

The DVSA produces data on UK tipper and moving floor trailer sales, which shows that around 1,450 tipping trailers were sold in 2022, as well as some 500 moving floor trailers. Data for January and February this year shows 270 tipping trailers were sold and 100 moving floors. The component shortage that came about with Covid-19 is starting to ease, but MacMillan says it is still having an impact on those registrations because of the longer lead times that have resulted.

“The problem with 2022 was that you ordered a trailer but didn’t get it for between four and 10 months. So last year’s numbers are partly 2021 numbers, and anything coming between say January and April I can guarantee was ordered in 2021.

“So you’ve got that lag and what I’m seeing now is I’m very busy putting trailers through from August, September, October and November orders. If you go to December, January, February and March, it’s very, very low on orders, but everybody is.

“I’ve spoken to a few people and they’re all saying the same, they are all seeing a downturn. In the last two months, I’ve sold 15 trailers. I should be selling the best part of 25 to 30, so I’ve seen about a 30% reduction.”

Barclay at Roger Warnes is more optimistic, “Demand for tippers is widely fluctuating,” he says. “Partly that is a seasonal thing – post-sugar beet and pre-summer harvest is usually unpredictable, but grain will start moving from stores to make space for the new 2023 crop, so demand will outstrip supply. Minerals and aggregates are a little more dependent on the economic outlook but we’re not seeing evidence of the oft-vaunted slow down.” n