Saturday, Feb 16, 2013
Dubai - With growing focus on safety maintenance of heavy vehicles, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is coming up with several initiatives to make sure drivers and operators adhere to stringent regime.
Among the recent initiatives is the testing and registration of heavy vehicle trailers, which though is a major component of a heavy truck, was not done until last year.
According to RTA figures, 8,895 trailers have been registered so far since early last year, however, there still hundreds of trailers that haven’t been tested, posing grave danger to road users.
“The trailer testing initiative is a welcome move and it will certainly have a positive impact on road safety. But any law related maintenance and safety of vehicles is good only when it is imposed strictly. RTA is trying its best in creating awareness and bringing all the trailers in the net,” said Ahmad Dardas, Technical Support Manager at Enoc Tasjeel Vehicle Testing Centre.
On a laden truck, about 45 % of the braking is done by the trailer, while the head of the truck will do 55 to 60 %, so it is important that the trailer is equally fit, he added.
More importantly, all the load is hauled by the trailer and if the trailer is not in a good mechanical state then it can causes grave danger to the road users.
In an annual test a vehicle has to pass the brake test ( service brakes efficiency and performance , parking brakes efficiency and performance , braking system elements efficiency and performance ) , emission test , steering geometry test , steering system efficiency and performance , steering system elements condition and performance ), tires condition , chassis condition and trailer components like undercarriage parts and chassis. The testing also checks cooling system and external vehicle look.
“We have a list of test parameter from RTA. There are two types of tests, an automated test that takes care of brake and emission, reads break force and imbalance and transfers the results directly into system without any human interference. Apart from these are 66 visual items that are checked,” informed Dardas.
According to Dardas, wear and tear in tyres and steering components are among the main reasons for heavy trucks to fail a test and both cause grave danger on road if not fixed in time.
“Earlier we used to check only the head of the truck which has fewer tyres but with the inclusion of trailers which have many more tyres the testing system becomes more effective,” added Dardas.
However, he further adds that since heavy trucks run for thousands of kilometres every year and there is wear and tear every day and a solitary check in a year is not enough.
Keeping this in mind, RTA along with Dubai Police have introduced random spot checks. In cooperation with MoI, the authority has also initiated s system that makes sure repeat offenders are monitored and defects are actually rectified.
We have started a project called VDCS (Vehicle Defect and Clearance System) that is currently under discussion with MOI to enforce it to all emirates, this system should allow us to make sure that heavy vehicles are Safe in all emirates.
RTA is also proposing a national database to determine safe and unsafe vehicles at the federal level.
With an additional responsibility of vehicle maintenance, load security and limit also on their shoulders, drivers, who are already weary of long drives, say it’s a bit too much to ask.
“We drive for hours together without a break and are always under pressure to reach on time while at the same time ensure safety, now we have take care of the maintenance and load this a big ask,” said Mohammad Tariq, who has been a driving a 25 tonne trailer for the last five years.
He pointed out that unlike in Europe and other Western countries there is regulations that restricts the number of hours a driver is on road every day and operators take advantage of this.
“In Europe divers can’t drive for more than 6 hours a day, here we sometimes driver for 18 hours a day, stopping for a few minutes every 500 kilometres,” added Tariq.
Akram Khan, who is a heavy trucks operator and a former driver, said even operators are under pressure from the contractors.
“It is a cut-throat business, we have to make a balance between keeping the drivers and contractors happy. Also most of the drivers work on commission so they want to drive more to earn more. As for maintenance we try to make sure the vehicles are safe but we also need to keep an eye on the pocket and the trailer test has added to the cost,” observed Khan.
By Shafaat Shahbandari Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
