OK, clearly unrelated to Ferrari, but something that came out of yesterday's visit to Iveco.
Right then, Project Diciotto. This harks back to the concept truck that Iveco showed off at the Hannover show in 2006. As well as being chock-full of safety features, it was also fitted with numerous aerodynamic aids and, crucially, coupled to a longer trailer. Diciotto means eighteen in English and, as you might have realised, refers to the 18m (or 18.25m or 18.30m and so on) trailer.
At present four different transport companies (Arcese, FAS, CTA and Brivio & Vigano) are running a total of five trailers from four different manufacturers (Acerbi-Viberti, Omar, Merker and Rolfo) with another two hauliers, Conserva (Merker) and Koine (Cardi) due to add another three trailers to the test over the coming weeks.
Monitoring of the project is being undertaken by consultancy CSST who will build up a data bank based on satellite tracking of the units involved and compared to similar movements made using 16.5m trailers. So far - at least according to my potentially woeful translation of an e-mail in Italian - there have been no reported issues with their use.
What's striking about this is how joined up the whole project is: ANFIA, the Italian equivalent of the SMMT is involved, the government is backing it, Iveco, which although is unaffected by any potential legislation change, is also driving it forward and clearly hauliers have seen the success of the German scheme and also want a piece of that action.
Iveco is also leading a similar project in the UK with the involvement of two hauliers, the FTA and trailer maker Montracon. It wants to conduct track-based trials to discover any limitations of the longer trailers (turning circle, swing radius and so on) but is again keen to be seen driving a project with such clear benefits for hauliers.
Of course the DfT is presently conducting its study into the subject, due for completion by December. Our gut feeling is that the report will be positive and indications are that the DfT, at least its civil servants, will recommend legislation to allow their use. The difficulty is that this issue will not, in all likelihood, be resolved before next year's general election and therefore risks becoming lost in the inevitable change of administration.
Clearly the LHV concept - like the Denby Double - is dead in the water. Politicians, the public, and yes, the rail lobby, will all stand very much in their way. Let's be clear, longer trailers are the best chance the industry (and yes, it's clearly not applicable to everybody) has of boosting productivity for minimal pain. And let's not forget, longer trailers also offer a quick environmental win too - estimates from the IGD indicate a sizeable % reduction of lorry miles and consequent cut in CO2 emissions if they were allowed.
If we are serious about wringing this important concession from the government - and we aren't going to get many others - then we all need to get behind this project. It's too big an opportunity to let slip by.