Thanks to Eric Lundekrans I can bring you this Volvo TV mini clip from YouTube showing a bit of crash testing on the FH....but what really intrigues Biglorryblog is the shot not long into the clip showing the truck moving forward along the rails from low down...is that a leaf that appears to be blown across the floor..or a mouse that's been rudely disturbed?
Recently in Road safety Category
Regular Biglorryblog readers may well recall that bitumen manufacturer Nynas
There I was minding my own business when my old chum Clive Burnet, technical manager at Scania GB rang me up to ask me if I had any photographs of a rather different kind of brake test I conducted back in the mid '90s at the manufacturer's Swedish test track. At the time the jolly folk at Sodertalje had just launched the 4-Series and were keen to prove that its EBS/discs braking system was better than the old drum system. So off I went to the Scania test track where we did a at least a dozen full pressure brake stops, back-to-back, at 50mph to show how the discs kept working and the drums faded. In the end the EBS/disc-braked tractor was stopping well ahead of its drum-braked stablemate (as you can see from the photo here) and as if you need telling the yellow artic in the background has drum brakes....now click through here for more...
The reason why I've ben a bit slow posting up new stuff lately is that I've ben away, not least chairing the recent 'Comply and Survive' conference at Villa Park. One of the speakers was Phil Murphy, network operations director of Royal Mail and he kindly brought alogn his Safety Concept Truck. So I thought I'd do a quick video walkaround for you....if you want to learn more about it enter Royal Mail Safety Concept Truck in the search field and you'll see stuff on it I did earlier this year.
Yesterday your travelling reporter trundled up the A46 to Leicestershire to reacquaint Biglorryblog with the Don-Bur 'Safe Susie Coupling System' which has been developed with extensive input from DHL. I dropped by at the British Gypsum site at Barrow-in-Soar (with whom DHL has a major contract) in order to chat with some of the DHL drivers to get their feedback on the system. In general it gets a big thumbs up so I thought I'd show you what it does again with a quick video and my thanks to DHL driver Paul Harris for doing the business while I worked the camarea. It's interesting to note that when I first saw this at Don-Bur's premises it was being demonstrated with a Daf XF which had a swing out side valance.. The CF85 shown here has a fixed side fairing which is why it's just a bit fiddly to reach around to the re-sited susie stowage point by ther kerbside. However, chatting with the guys from DHL this point has been picked up on. Meanwhile, the main point is that it can all be done from ground level so you don't need to get up on the catwalk. And click through here to see how it all ends....
Once again I'm left wondering how it is that the Americans are so far ahead of us when it comes to sending out positive PR messages for the trucking industry. (And whatever happened to rhetoric questions?) Take this latest story I've received from Jim McNamara, Biglorryblog's PR wallah contact at Volvo Trucks North America. It seems the good folk at VTNA have been running a competition to promote safety in the business and have presented
And Bison? Well the
Meanwhile, here's a shot of the winners From left, Bison President and CEO Don Streuber, Volvo Trucks Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing Scott Kress,
Now here's what I'd call an eye-catching rig...word reaches Biglorryblog that Volvo Trucks North America will continue as the sole sponsor of
Believe or not this rather innocent, if not brightly-painted, artic is really rather special. 'How so Biglorryblog?' I hear you ask...well it's all to do with how quick you can stop, especially when you might not be paying attention. And if you click through here you'll find out for yourself what it's all about....
This is the last of the video clips I shot at the Mercedes-Benz safety seminar last Thursday and shows (albeit briefly) an Actros artic negotiating the industry standard 'Double-S' stability manoeuvre at the Stuttgart test track - but without its Electronic Stability Control connected. Believe me when the cones started flying Biglorryblog beat a hasty retreat - and as you can see those stability outriggers were definitely needed otherwise, belive me, that rig would have rolled over... Now click through here to see what it's like with ESP functioning...
Here's another take on the Mercedes Active Brake Assist system--this time on a 12m luxury coach where Biglorryblog was sitting in the front seat with his video camera yesterday at the Stuttgart test track. The car in front is travelling along at around 15mph - the coach is on cruise control at top speed on the limiter. At 110m out the forward-looking radar in the Adative Cruise Control picks up the car and warns the driver with a rattling noise (clearly audible on the video clip) and dashboard display. As the driver continues to do nothing (deliberately as part of the demonstration) the system then starts issuing a warning bleeper (which you can also hear) As the distance closes (and believe me we WERE closing fast!) and a collision looks likely, with the driver taking no further action ABA then applies the service brakes in a full emregency stop - which is why the camera dips down. The coach stops (I'm delighted to say) some 10m from the car. And the round of applause is for the driver who steered directly at the car and had the nerve to trust the system without doing the obvious thing - which was to start braking himself!
Biglorryblog witnessed this demonstration today of the Actros Safety Truck today at the Stuttgart factory test track and in particular its 'Active Brake Assist' system which reduces the risk of classic rear-end shunts when a truck runs into the back of a slow-moving car or queue of stationary traffic at high speeds. The forward facing radar (which is part of the tractor's Adaptive Cruise Control) detects this car bimbling along at 20km/h from about 110m away (the truck is travelling at 56km/h with the cruise control ON). As the gap closes, the truck driver gets a series of warnings on his dash display and if he still doesn't do anything the system auomatically applies the service brakes to avoid a collision...as you see on my short video clip. The car driver meanwhile carries on in complete ignorance not knowing how close he came to being hit up the rear by a 40-tonne Actros! I have to say it must take some nerve on the test driver's part not to brake when everything tells you to! I have a couple more to post up shortly from the test day.
Lookout! Word reaches Biglorryblog that Volvo Trucks is advising customers to have the system integrity of their vehicles' SRS Air-Bag modules checked by a qualified workshop, such as their local Volvo Dealer, after the vehicle has been in service for 10 years. Why? Well click through here and you'll find out all about it!
Credit: Michael Dunlea/Rex Features
Fed up with this view out of your windscreen? Join me for a bit of escapism as I take you on a whistle-stop tour of some of the world's greatest roads.
What exactly makes a great road? This is an incredibly personal thing, and one man's dream road is another man's nightmare. For instance, to your average Ferrari driver, the Stelvio Pass in Switzerland is about as good as it gets. But those hairpins wouldn't be quite as much fun in a 40-tonner!
Likewise, the M1 isn't every supercar driver's idea of heaven, but if there's no traffic and you're heading home after a week of tramping, it could well be one of your favourites.
In compiling this list I've gone for a complete mix, choosing roads for their scenery, originality, and pure excitement. If you think you could have done a better job, I'd love to hear your choices.
And in no particular order:
No1
US Route 163
Length: 64 miles
Speed limit: 75mph
Year built: 1910
Credit: Chad Ehlers/Stock Connection/Rex Features
You've probably never heard of US Route 163 before, but I'm confident that you'll be familiar with the spectacular scenery it passes through. This 64-mile stretch of two-lane road crosses the Arizona/Utah border, and takes in some of the craziest rock formations on the planet.
The highlight of any journey down this road has to be Monument Valley. This cluster of iconic sandstone buttes is instantly recognisable thanks to its starring role in countless movies, including The Eiger Sanction, Easy Rider, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Stagecoach.
It was also the backdrop for the 1950s Marlboro Man (who incidentally died from lung cancer) marketing campaign. Motorists are allowed to take their own vehicles into the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, where there is mile upon mile of poorly maintained dirt tracks. The going is incredibly rough - which is just what rental cars were made for!
No2
Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road
Length: 353 miles
Speed limit: 16mph fully-laden, 37mph unladen (strictly enforced by radar)
Year built: 1982
Credit: Canadian Press/Rex Features
In Canada's Northwest Territories, ice roads are a vital link to the remote mines. And during the winter months, convoys of trucks carry essential supplies to the remote mining communities on these temporary roads.
The most famous ice road is the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road, which is normally operational throughout February and March (weather permitting). Nearly 90% of the 353-mile road travels directly over frozen lakes. In 2007, some 10,922 truck loads were carried on the road, carrying 331,000 tonnes of goods.
In 2007 the road was featured on The History Channel series called Ice Road Truckers,
but the mining company felt that the road was portrayed in a negative fashion, so soon introduced a ban on commercial, media, video or rolling film cameras either inside or attached to the outside of vehicle. The show moved to the Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road.
No3
The Great Silk Road
Length: 4000 miles
Speed limit: various
Year built: 1000BC
Credit: Andrew Aiken/Rex Features
The Silk Road (or Silk Routes) is an extensive interconnected network of trade routes across the Asian continent, connecting East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean world, as well as North and Northeast Africa and Europe.
The 4000-mile route was originally set up not only for the transportation of silk and other fine fabrics, but also to move spices, medicines jewels and slaves. Because of the vast distances, few people actually travelled along the entire route, instead carrying goods from one market town to the next in a relay fashion.
The most famous westerner to do the entire route was Marco Polo. If you want to follow in his footsteps, but don't have time to do the entire 4000-mile journey, I'm told the section through Morocco's High Atlas Mountains (pictured) is particularly beautiful.
Continue reading The 10 greatest roads in the world.
Searching around in my BLB picture files for something totally unconnected.(.isn't it always the way?) I stumble across this shot of the Renault Magnum Safety Concept truck from the mid-90s which shows that you CAN put 'Praying Mantis' style coach mirrors on an artic...though whateverr became of it/them is anyone's guess. All of which leads me neatly to point out that Biglorryblog and 'The Boy Swallow' will shortly be conducting a mirror 'blindspot' test at Chbham with the help of Dawsonrentals to see how much of the driver's view the new EU mirror packs create, not least when looking right at roundabouts at T-Junctions. It will be featured in Commercial Motor, so in the words of the great Shaw Taylor "Keep 'em peeled!" And for a pie what was his alleged nickname amongst the criminal fraternity? Clue: Lofty knows....but does 'The Boss'?.
In case you find things a bit quiet on Biglorryblog today it's because yours truly is spending the day out with this the recently-lanched Royal Mail Safety Concept Vehicle - an artic with more safety kit on it than you can shake a risk assessment form at with no less than 55 (count 'em) safety-related items on the Daf CF85.410 and Cartwright double-deck trailer rig. So don't be surprised - I'll make up for it tomorrow!
![Level_crossing_danger_2[1].jpg](http://www.roadtransport.com/blogs/big-lorry-blog/Level_crossing_danger_2%5B1%5D.jpg)
"G'day Brian," says AtkiPete with road safety and level crossing firmly on his mind... "We've had some dreadful accidents in Australia in recent years involving trucks at level crossings and authorities are always quick to blame the truck driver. However, many of the crossings are poorly laid out but this one near Warrigal seems to get it all wrong, especially if you are driving a heavy vehicle. No boom gates and not enough room between the rail and give way sign to stop in a large vehicle without fouling the crossing. The steep jump up means it will be difficult to get started and scrape marks on the pavement suggest low trailers and school buses are bottoming out. Regards Pete."
Interesting post too. How about in the UK? Does anyone out there have a particularly 'unfavourite' level crossing in Britain they have to traverse with a truck? From my own experience the one on the A259 into Rye looks to be is quite a handful especially for a low loader driver unfamiliar with it. So what's your experience driving trucks over UK level crossings - unmanned or otherwise?
Did you know that yesterday was the 50th anniversary of Volvo's leading-safety invention--the three-point seat belt? I did. But then Biglorryblog was alerted to the fact by not only Nigel Hanwell, the Towering Titan of Truck Tittle-Tattle at Volvo Trucks Warwick, but also by Jim McNamara Volvo Trucks North America PR wallah. And to celebrate here's an interesting YouTube video clip posted up by the Swedish car and truck maker....now click through here for more...
Flippin' eck love... I lend you the truck and look what happens! No don't worry you're not witnessing a new Biglorryblog 'domestic' rather a photo that accompanies the latest press release from Volvo on the truck manufacturer's Accident Research Team which has been collecting data on Volvo truck accidents for over four decades, feeding its finding back to the Swedish maker's designers and engineers in order to come up with a safer truck not just for the driver but other road users too.....And after 40 years of accident investigations the team has come up with some interesting facts (some well-known, others less obvious) for example:
The accident team's archives contain both well-known and less well-known facts such as:
- Only 10-15% of all those killed or seriously injured in truck accidents are actually in the truck.
- Between 55-65% are in cars while between 20-30% are unprotected road users.
- In a frontal impact between a truck and a car, in nine out of ten cases it's the car driver who has strayed onto the wrong side of the road.
- Single-vehicle accidents, in which the truck rolls over or drives off the road, account for half of all fatalities or serious injuries in truck-related accidents.
- And 20% of all single-vehicle truck accidents are caused by driver drowsiness.
Now click through here to find out more...
With the nights drawing in I thought it was time to issue a Biglorryblog Operator Legislation Alert Why? Because in October new regs relating to safety markings on trucks and trailers come into force. From then, all new 'type approved' HGVs and trailers over a specified weight* must display highly visible 'conspicuity' marking tape on the rear and side panels of the vehicle as you see here...
Initially the new legislation will apply to new 'type approved' HGVs with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) above 7.5 tonnes and trailers with a GVW above 3.5 tonnes operating in the
If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, then what's the value of a video clip? And whatever happened to rhetoric questions? Kidding aside Biglorryblog is impressed by the way that the Swedish truck maker and its US off-shoot Volvo Trucks North America is using new media like YouTube to promote its activities. That's using the old noggin! And what better medium to present the latest version of its Electronic Stability Program (ESP) unveiled back in 2008. And now there's a new version specifically for 6x2 and 4x2 rigid trucks with one or more trailers. Indeed the new ESP system can handle everything from tractors to multi-trailer rigs. But don't take BLB's word for it see it in action--the video clip says more than words ever can!
Truck of the Year
BigLorryBlog editor Brian Weatherley is the UK jury member for the International Truck of the Year award