Hit the Road Jack

Jack 1995 – 2008

By the time 1995 dawned the speed of trucks had been limited to 56mph, the Channel Tunnel was open to passengers and diesel emissions tests were part of an MOT. By the time it left, Jack was with us. The legislators in Brussels were taking over our lives, but they couldn’t make us love them for it, not like Jack could.

He started his life with us on the road, on a journey in the back of my old van to what was to become his home for the next twelve-odd years. A small, timid bundle of soft black hair snuggled up to a toy we had left with the breeder a week before, to help the transition from familiar litter to new life. He looked nervous and a little sad but once on the motorway the gentle motion and soothing vibration soon took over and he drifted into sleep. At home he gulped at the mountainous climb from the patio to our lawn; the four inch step of paving came up to his chest. Jack wasn’t the biggest Labrador puppy in the litter and when we first saw him the other puppies clearly dominated. I worried that he would be too faint-hearted to be a ‘proper’ dog.

What I’d forgotten was the ‘Truck Driver – New Lorry’ syndrome: a gentle climb into the cab, a soft stroke of the wheel and a tentative push of a couple of buttons. Roll on twenty-four hours and it’s as if they've been together for ever. The air-conditioning is just right and all the radio station buttons have been pre-set. The sleeper looks like a Bedouin encampment and a few stickers have appeared, not to mention aerials, a kitchen and home entertainment. By the next day, Jack had moved in.

It wasn’t long before the patio step became an irrelevance – Jack didn’t touch the ground between back door and lawn. He would spring onto the garden fence and balance, as if on a tight rope, while choosing which one of next doors’ cats to harass. We finally resorted to six-foot fencing, which consisted of two tiers of three-foot pig wire mounted on rustic posts. When my wife asked the man in the shop why no one made six-foot pig wire, she was asked how many pigs she knew that could jump six-feet. Jack shrugged off his new confinement with a resolve to be twice the rascal when taken out for a walk. He gained a reputation that was to stay with him well beyond puppyhood, to a time when, ‘Oh no, it’s Jack’ became an unnecessary and totally undeserved greeting from the other dog walkers we knew.

In 1996 ERF went to Western Star (Canada) and Jack travelled the country from Snowdonia to London, from Devon to Drumnadrocket. He was a typical driver’s mate and spent the best part of any journey sleeping. When tiredness came upon me and I just wanted to arrive at the day’s destination, he would snore just to rub it in. By autumn I had driven my first Daf 95 and completely forgotten that ERF had emigrated. Jack scattered the leaves I had spent hours raking into neat little piles and chased the brush on the end of my yard broom every time I tried to use it. He could have fun with just about anything that came his way, and I had fun watching. Before the year was up, the theory test had been introduced for new drivers and I had learnt a lot about companionship.

One year on and Iveco Ford had ceased production of trucks at Langley and Leyland Daf had gone west, to Paccar. Seat belts were made compulsory for all coaches used to carry children. While Jack reached full size, unrestrained - a magnificent picture of health and happiness - 3,599 people were killed on our roads and 42,967 were seriously injured. I looked to repair the chewed skirting boards that were victims of his puppy teeth but in the end to save time, I just slapped a bit of paint on them. They are still there today, but now it is not time that stops me from making a more permanent repair, it’s the memories.

1998 marked the opening of the Newbury bypass – and a security bill for £30 million. Jack developed a sixth sense for trouble, creating most of it himself but proving a valuable guard against that originating elsewhere. He would shoulder barge anyone that he didn’t like the look of and who came too close. Once at an acceptable distance, he would fix the would-be villain with a stare from hell. Jack earned his keep.

1999. The Government produced a white paper titled, ‘A New Deal for Transport – Better for Everyone’ and opened a new bus lane on the M4, so that Jack could spend more time looking at the planes flying in and out of Heathrow. He also continued to prove his credentials as crew member. If sticky buns were in the offing the largest would always disappear, literally without trace. Even those put out of harm’s way, never were. From July all driving licences issued were of the photo card type. By this time Jack, who was never before allowed on the furniture, had commandeered a leather chair in our dining room. It suited him perfectly, and so it became his.

The ownership of ERF transferred to MAN in 2000, the same year that a blockade of oil refineries by lorry drivers and farmers sparked panic buying of fuel. Britain had consistently higher diesel prices than elsewhere in Europe. The price of a tin of Chum was not affected as the country prepared to grind to a halt – which in the end, it didn’t. We failed to take a lead from the French who not only build taller trucks than anyone else – so you get more poor reliability for your money – they also know how to bring a country to its knees. For us, the protest fizzled out and we continued to pay over the odds for fuel. The Dft published its strategy, ‘Tomorrows Roads – Safer for Everyone’, and a consultation paper, ‘Road Traffic Penalties’. ‘Poo’ bins were installed on common land near our home and Jack did his bit to keep them filled.

2001 saw the introduction of a new number plate system. Two letters for region, two numbers for year and a further three letters for uniqueness. Not for the first time, Jack spent his summer holidays on a different type of road. He walked the East Devon Way, a long distant footpath that runs from Lyme Regis to Exmouth. At night his shelter was the corner of a three man tent. He would unzip the tent flap using his nose and climb in when he was ready for bed, and then gradually evict me from my roll mat during the night. He spent each day out in front, on point.

By 2002 Oshkosh had replaced Scammell as the prime mover in the British army’s tank transport fleet. Jack was now seven years old and a few grey hairs were appearing. Vauxhall ceased production of cars at their Luton plant and Jack began to mellow with age. He no longer had to vie for position all the time, he didn’t even need to be in front – but he was still the best.

Jack pre-empted most New Years with a Christmas that involved ripping open presents. He loved tearing up the little packages of treats we gave him nearly as much as he loved devouring what was in them. In 2003 congestion charging was introduced in London which, contrary to what the title suggests, was a levy on motorists for using their cars in London. The use of hand-held mobile phones while driving was banned and the M6 toll road opened. Jack finished the year with several Chum bones and a few packets of Sizzlers.

In 2004 Jaguar stopped producing cars in Coventry and in 2005 Rover Group went bankrupt. Jack trickled along being Jack.

2006 saw the introduction of the long awaited digital tachograph. Instead of inserting a paper chart into an instrument the driver now used a smart card. Digital tachograph cards are manufactured with more security features than the average credit card. Jack ripped open a packet of dry food and helped himself, totally ignoring the instruction to ‘use scissors and cut along the dotted line’. Foden stopped new vehicle production almost unlamented, except by a greying lorry driver and his black and grey Labrador.

In 2007 the rules changed. Drivers hours regulation 3820/85 was replaced with 561/2006, which involved little difference overall but significant change in detail. Towards the end of the year Jack started to have fits. We took him to see a specialist vet and he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. After giving Jack a cursory look, they closely examined our insurance policy before deciding that they could operate on it. Jack underwent radiatherapy, as well as being prescribed drugs to control his condition. Initially there was little noticeable difference in his character, but in time things started to change. I could tell towards the end that it was all getting too much for him, and I knew that soon enough, I would have to make another journey to the vet.

Jack died in 2008. He ended his life with us on the road, on a journey in the back of my old van. The gentle motion and soothing vibration soon took over and he drifted into sleep.

Grey Matter

A black Jaguar pulls up on the gravel in front of a large country house and its driver, a forty-something male wearing a light grey suite, hurriedly gets out and opens the rear passenger door over on the left side of the car. No sooner has he done so when the front door of the house opens and a forty-something male wearing a dark grey suite hurriedly moves to the open passenger door and gets in. Light grey suite shuts the door, gets back in the driver’s seat and the vehicle pulls away.

Dark Grey: “Into town today, I’m afraid, important meeting at ten-thirty. Can’t say I’m looking forward to it. It’ll probably be all ‘EC Directive this and EC Directive that’. Don’t suppose anything of real importance will be discussed. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there, what’s the A40 like?”
Light Grey: “According to the radio there’s a lorry gone through the central barrier at Greenford, I don’t know what its like after that, sir.”
Dark Grey: “There would be. Bloody lorries, they’re nothing but bloody trouble. And to think, they want even bigger ones, as if thirty-odd tonne doesn’t cause enough bother.
Light Grey: “I think they go up to forty-four tonne now, sir.”
Dark Grey “Good Lord, do they really? Oh.”

The Jaguar winds its way through he lanes of Buckinghamshire and joins an A-road that will take it to the A40, upon which, the car will travel to Central London.

Dark Grey: Looking up from his broadsheet, “Bit slow this morning, isn’t it. Not usually this bad, surely?”
Light Grey: “There’s a lorry up ahead, sir.”
Dark Grey: “Hell, so there is. What speed is the idiot doing?”
Light Grey: “About forty by the look of it, sir.”
Dark Grey: “About forty. Bloody fools one of those fuel protesters, no doubt.”
Light Grey: “No sir, I think forty’s the limit.”
Dark Grey: “Don’t be ridiculous, there’s one of those white sign thingies - the one with the black stripe. It’s seventy along here.
Light Grey: “National Speed Limit sign, sir. Which means it’s sixty for us and forty for him.”
Dark Grey: “Are you sure? Oh.”

The Jaguar finally joins the A40, that slow, often choked and always busy river of metal that’s called arterial. Today it’s having a coronary.

Light Grey: “I couldn’t do this every day, you know sir. Drive in this traffic, every morning; day in, day out, bumper to bumper.”
Dark Grey: “Neither could I.”
Light Grey: “Too soul destroying, sir?
Dark Grey: “No, don’t have a licence.”
Light Grey: “Oh.”

Soon the inevitable happens and the road grinds to a halt. All around fed-up drivers slump in their seats as if in front of the telly on Christmas afternoon. The Great Escape would be welcome but The Old Man of the Sea is what they get - tedious, depressing and seemingly, never ending.

Dark Grey: “Our bloody lorry driving friend, no doubt. ‘He of the central barrier’.”
Light Grey: “Probably, sir: Greenford’s not far.”
Dark Grey: “What ever possesses someone to drive a bloody great lorry through a crash barrier”?
Light Grey: “Well, I don’t suppose he did it on purpose, sir, maybe he was cut-up. Maybe he just lost concentration - It must be difficult driving one of those things mile after mile.”
Dark Grey: “Do you think so, well, you may be right, I suppose. Can’t say it looks that difficult to me. But if concentration’s a problem, then it’s important – especially if the result could be something like this. Can’t they do something to help keep themselves alert?
Light Grey: “I don’t suppose there are many things they can do, in reality, sir.”
Dark Grey: “They could telephone someone, conversation’s good to help focus the mind.”
Light Grey: “I don’t think that’s always advisable, sir, even with a ‘hands free’.”
Dark Grey: “Oh yes, of course. What about Crossword puzzles? I swear by them. They keep me wide awake and, If I say so myself, sharp as a knife.”
Light Grey: “They’re driving, sir.”
Dark Grey: “Oh.”

The minutes drag on until finally the stricken lorry is passed. The Jaguar continues east and into town at a slow but, by now, steady pace.

Dark Grey: “Well, there must be something they can do? What about a ‘game-laddie’, thing.”
Light Grey: “Game Boy. And they’re driving, sir.”
Dark Grey: “Oh yes, forgot. They could brew a pot of tea. Nothing like a cuppa to keep you on your toes.”
Light Grey: “Drivng, sir.”
Dark Grey: “Blast. Knitting, that’s it, mother’s always at it and she never misses a trick.
Light Grey: “Driving, sir”. And then, at a whisper to himself. “And not cricket or bleedin’ line dancing either”.

They turn right at Marylebone Road, in silence now, as Dark Grey is in deep thought. Marble Arch passes unnoticed such is the depth of his concentration. Soon, it’s Hyde Park Corner and Parliament Square and the Jaguar turns into an entrance and comes to a halt facing a pair of substantial iron gates.

Dark Grey: “Got it.”
Light Grey: “Sir?”
Dark Grey: “I’ve got it. The solution to the lorry driver problem.”

Light Grey lowers the electric window by his side and shows a pass that hangs on a neat, printed ribbon. The gates open and the Jaguar drives forward.

Dark Grey: “It’s obvious. So obvious, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. ”Mother’s little comforts. The very thing that’s sustained generations through thick and thin. In times of trouble, when you need to be at your best, what do you turn to? The old filter-tip, of course. Fags, that’s the answer, we’ll encourage ‘em to smoke. Within reason of course; health and all that, you know.
Light Grey: “Well, you certainly see a lot of lorry drivers smoking, sir.”
Dark Grey: “Of course you do; they know what’s best. It’s got everything: something to occupy them but won’t interfere too much with the driving. Nicotine is a stimulant and will help to keep them awake. It’s something to look forward to on those otherwise dreary, long journeys. Yes, that’s it: The good old cigarette.”

For Every Action There is an Equal and ...

Time and Space - Space and Time

All Square

It seems unlikely the Government will introduce a system of regulation that would see fuel tax fluctuate with the price of oil. Despite being the fairest way it is not the exchequers way to see revenue actually fall. And as Margaret Thatcher once said: tax payers pay taxes; governments do not (Jeffrey Archer: Prison Diary Wayland Purgatory), so it may be up to us to find another way to square it with Westminster.

The government can change existing laws or introduce new ones to ensure that it always ends up on top, but some laws cannot be altered. The State may dictate what we should do, but it cannot control what we can do. This is down to the laws of physics and The Conservation of Energy is one such law. Quite simply, it states that energy is always conserved: the chemical energy we put into our truck's fuel tank is converted to heat and motion, the proportions of which depend on the engine’s efficiency. As we drive, energy in the form of friction is trying to slow us, so we continue to burn diesel in order to keep rolling. But here’s the most important bit: speed has a squared relationship with energy, so the faster we drive, the more - and more - fuel we consume.

It sounds complicated until you look at the braking distances quoted in the Highway Code. The distance needed to stop from 40 mph is about four times that of 20 mph, not twice the amount that you might think. Heat energy in the brakes increases alarmingly the faster the vehicle is travelling. It’s the same with friction in bearings, rolling resistance in tyres and aerodynamic drag. In short, by reducing speed, you can save a seemingly disproportionate amount of fuel.

So let’s say we all reduce our speed to a maximum of 50 mph. The energy saving should be obvious but the total affect may not. Fuel protests based on a once-in-while blockade are futile – it’s like the police only enforcing speed on one particular road, and even then only every so often. But two lanes of every motorway at 50 mph - all day, every day? That should square it.

Pieces of the Past

Many things have changed over the years. We no longer see Gardner engines in vehicles, flat windscreens or constant mesh gearboxes (except when there's no clutch pedal). Vehicles have a 'softer' feel to them...

...like most things you meet on the road.

Summer's Here

Steam rallies help remind me of what motors were like, years back .

And what the roads looked like when I started driving.

And just how small wagons were, both inside and out, compared with today.

They also show what lorries of the 1950's to the 1970's were developed from.

Wagons in those days had style and character but above all, they had to be 'worked'.

Thank God they've gone.

Steam rallies help remind me of what motors were like, years back.

Hold Up, What's Happening?

Yesterday, I drove north up the M1 to Leicestershire. It was a wet and windy day with heavy rain for most of the journey. The road was covered in a sheet of water. Overhead matrix signs showed the warning ‘SPRAY SLOW DOWN’ all the way from Luton to Daventry, their flashing amber lights visible far in the distance, each one filling me with the dread of some unseen delay. Then the wording changed suddenly. A new and all too familiar warning appeared, ‘QUEUE AFTER NEXT JUNCTION’ with the attached speed, ‘60’. With no visible evidence of a hold up, traffic continued to overtake me at 70 or 80 miles per hour, even when we past the next matrix, ‘QUEUE AFTER NEXT JUNCTION 40’. Then, as we traveled under the bridges at junction 16, there were brake lights ahead and the traffic finally slowed. Cars, vans and lorries alike closed up before coming to a halt. We sat there a short while and then set off at an intermittent crawl, stop-start. I saw wagons and cars ahead swapping lanes only to return to their original position a few moments later, minus a few extra drops of diesel and certainly no farther forward. Then, all of a sudden, as if some great barrier had been lifted, the traffic began to speed up and we continued on our individual journeys. All three lanes flowed; there were no signs of an accident, or debris in the carriageway, or broken down vehicles; there were no HATO or police cars - just a matrix that said, ‘End’.

The signs had started it and they had ended it. The question is, why were the signs on in the first place and why, when they displayed a speed of 40, had traffic come to a standstill? The answer to the first part is an assumption. With so much spray and surface water about, there may have been some difficulty with traffic joining the motorway from the busy slip road. It seems significant that the whole thing happened through a junction. The answer to the second part of the question has little to do with the signs and more to do with the way we drive.

I saw a Television documentary a few years ago about aircraft crashes and how, in some cases, pilot error was the cause. More precisely, what caused these disasters were the pilots disregarding information given by the aeroplanes computers, information that would have saved them. One incident occurred in poor visibility when the pilot did not believe the altitude shown on his instruments or the computer’s advice to climb. The aircraft struck a mountain. On another occasion, an aircraft flew in a direction that took it miles off course; it crashed after running out of fuel. The pilot had overruled the navigation computer. The conclusion of the program was that human perception and reality were sometimes out of sync; and we often think we know best, based on experience, even when that experience is flawed.

Most drivers seem to ignore matrix signs and instead rely on what they perceive to be the situation. If the road is clear for the distance they can see, they continue at their normal speed. Only when traffic is actually slowing do they brake, and here lies the problem. Imagine being in a row of cars, say five, all side by side and traveling along a very wide slab of concrete, a runway, perhaps. Car number one is on the left and car five is on the right. At 60 miles per hour, they are all together when car one brakes gently. Car two reacts and brakes so as to stay alongside car one, but with a reaction time of about one second, the driver has traveled 88 feet at 60 miles per hour while car one has been slowing. Car two must brake a little harder than car one if they are to stay together. Car three must brake harder still and four and five just plain hard. If car one comes off the brake, car five is still braking hard for a further few seconds before its driver realizes and the brakes are released. Naturally, its speed is then below that of car one.

This is why traffic comes to a standstill. When the vehicles are in a line, one behind another, the distance between each one becomes important. If the gap is too short, braking further down the line can be severe. The matrix signs on the M1 said 40; we stopped. The solution? Forget trying to communicate with the driver; talk to the machine.

CAN Do

While the debate over increasing the speed limit for heavy goods vehicles on some A-class roads rumbles on, with compelling reasons for and against coming from both sides in the argument, the solution may well lie within the vehicles themselves (in the multiplex or CAN wiring systems many now rely on to operate) and in a change in legislative philosophy - from a near futile attempt to control some drivers to that of controlling all vehicles.

While the safety lobby will correctly point out that a vehicle’s braking distance increases at a rate above that which is directly proportional to its speed, others will say that when considering the number of lorries involved in accidents, it is overtaking vehicles (probably driven by impatient car drivers) that are the problem. This may be the case but a proportion of those vehicles will be just as likely to attempt to overtake a lorry travelling at 50 mph as they would one travelling at 40 mph – a manoeuvre that will take longer due to the higher speed of the lorry and, therefore, be potentially more dangerous.

By removing the risk-taking, potential poor-judgement and lapse-in-concentration element from the equation, and engineering a vehicle’s computer to monitor its driver - not the other way round - a whole new set of driving conditions and protocols could be implemented, and the consideration of fixed speed limits for all vehicles relegated to the past.

Daimler-Chrysler is only one manufacturer, I’m sure, to have developed systems such as white-line recognition and variable cruise control across its range of both light and heavy vehicles. Ford in the USA are apparently developing inter-vehicle communication that will enable congestion monitoring without the need of traffic cameras, or even Sally Traffic: onboard computers simply assess the progress of others around the country in order to detect traffic problems. With the addition of satellite navigation and mapping to recognise topography and geographical features, including road layout, cornering speeds and approach speeds to and through local hazards can all be calculated, and then set, without input from the driver. By allowing the vehicle to decide on safe speed, overtake timing and speed, following distance and lane discipline, both safety and efficiency would undoubtedly improve. Speed limits could then vary continuously, dependent on traffic conditions and the condition of each vehicle at a particular time.

Thirty years ago we said goodbye to the Atkinson Borderer and hello to the Volvo F10 - a quantum leap in vehicle technology (not to mention driver comfort). Now its time to bid farewell to the unacceptable level of road death across the whole of Europe. And to speed cameras, the myriad of often misunderstood and almost always resented traffic summonses, to unnecessary delays due to all traffic accidents, the high insurance costs these accidents create, near suicidal car drivers... . All it needs is one more leap.

Fuel Price Worry?

Drive on any road: town, country or motorway. Look at any vehicle: motorcycle, car, van or lorry. What you will probably see is nose to tail driving, foot hard down on either brake or accelerator. Concern about the price of fuel? Apparently not yet.

The Cost of Road Pricing and the Value of Efficiency

There is certainly a need for a fairer system of road user charging over and above that produced by road tax. However, in order to achieve it, the government is unlikely to introduce an expensive network of road tollgates similar to those seen elsewhere in Europe. Current thinking seems to be with technology in the form of static cameras and automatic number plate readers.

While devising a suitable method of charging that will see all road users pay up, including foreign registered vehicles, should be a priority, there is another important issue here. The technology route of monitoring vehicle journeys allows an opportunity to encourage efficiency in road transport operation. Cameras linked to dynamic weighbridges, or maybe on board telematics, used to monitor laden journeys will inevitably increase efficiency when linked to the charging scheme. In direct conflict with the logic of road tax rates, laden journeys encouraged by reduced charges could see important environmental issues addressed.

All this may involve extra cost but the value of utilising camera equipment on a broad base could justify the price.

ENERGY: Life in the Machine

There’s a fundamental truth of nature that is not often quoted. Maybe because it’s stating the obvious, or because it’s implicit in some of the established laws of physics and we don’t need to hear it put so plainly, I don’t know. But anyway, here it is: Everything that lives, dies. Everything that’s put together falls apart. Acceptance is mandatory. We do not question why time moves only forward; why we grow older and not younger; and why a once gleaming new truck needs a bit of renovating after a decade or so. We would not expect a broken cup, its pieces lying on the kitchen floor, to suddenly mend and rise to the table from which it fell. A hot kettle will always cool. That’s just the way life is. But what lies behind probably the most important of all universal truths? The answer is energy, the controlling factor that gives irreversible life in this world. To appreciate how, you have to start by looking a little closer at what you already know to be true.

If I were to ask you to push a small car the length of a perfectly smooth and level track, you would probably succeed, eventually. If I then starved you for a few days and asked you to try again, you would probably collapse with exhaustion before hardly any work was done. You know the reason. Without fuel your muscles are not able to do work – your body’s engine needs fuel. This is also true of vehicles, of course, the very reason we sometimes end up pushing them; without fuel they don’t work either. But what is the connection between fuel and work, and why do engines and people get hot when they work? The answer again is to be found with energy.

The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy is always conserved; it cannot be created or destroyed. This is true of all systems, large or small. The universe contains a finite amount of energy, energy that is continually transforming from one form to another. Like all stars, the Sun burns fuel and in doing so converts chemical energy to heat and light; plants convert light back to chemical energy. Plants provide the fuel that starts the food chain, a chain of energy that eventually fuels us. The oil that is the remains of ancient, long dead plants provides the chemical energy that fuels most of our machines. And the energy this fuel puts into our vehicles is converted to heat energy and kinetic energy, the energy of motion. When we brake, kinetic energy is exchanged for heat energy as the vehicle slows.

Energy is the ability to do work, and work is a product of force and distance. This may sound a little complicated until you remember what you would instinctively do if the fuel gauge on your car went into the red and you still had a little way to travel. If you drive fast you will use more fuel. At higher speeds the rolling resistance of tyres, a force that is trying to slow you down, is greater. As is the friction force in all the moving parts between the engine and the road wheels. And, of course, so is air resistance, which greatly increases with increasing speed. All these forces have to be counteracted by the engine, which provides the force to keep you moving. So, you drive more sedately, keeping the engine revolutions to a minimum. For the amount of energy available in the fuel, reducing the force required from the engine allows you to eke out the distance.

Energy not only fuels us and our machines, it is also responsible for giving those that can use it the power to be quick. Power is the rate at which energy is used, and the faster you can use energy the more powerful you will be. Large sports motorcycles are a classic example of how to use energy quickly. With over-square pistons, these high revving, short stroke gas guzzlers do loads of work. With a great power to weight ratio they explode with acceleration and overcome retarding forces to give extremely high speeds. Trucks also use power, but to provide the level of work needed to deal with the high retarding forces caused by their weight. Through higher torque and longer stroke engines, they attempt to limit engine revolutions while maintaining speed. High powered trucks climb hills well.

Because energy gives life, it can also save it. In a collision cars are designed so that energy is converted from that of motion, which is ultimately the killer, to a less harmful form. By collapsing in a controlled way, car structures do work, converting kinetic energy to heat and sound. Work is done over a specific distance to reduce the force for a given amount of energy. The reduction in force that results gives life.

When work is done heat is produced, the result of another fundamental law of physics. The Second Law of Thermodynamics says that in any system the energy available to do work is always diminishing. Our bodies and our vehicles only convert a certain amount of the chemical energy in fuel to kinetic energy; the rest goes to heat energy. When we work, we get hot. The Second Law works against us in the efficiency of engines, which will never be allowed to reach 100%. Tyres generate heat that will eventually destroy them; bearings and pistons wear out. It is always the same. If you drop a rubber ball from a certain height it will never bounce back to your hand, not unless you lower the hand to meet it. Internal friction in the ball as it bounces creates heat, so the potential energy given to the ball by the height it was dropped from is never fully regained. A cyclist that free-wheels down a hill will not have sufficient useable energy to climb back up a hill of the same height. They would eventually have to put more energy into the system by pedalling.

And as useable energy diminishes, like a kettle that cools until it is the same temperature as the air that surrounds it, in time everything assumes a position of energy equilibrium, a condition where it is most stable but least able to do work. Materials manufactured from elements in their natural state eventually return to that state. Metals corrode, plastics degrade. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Everything dies; it has to, the rules say so.

So, next time you drive your car, think of all the energy changing from one form to another as you travel along. Chemical energy to kinetic energy to heat energy. And think of yourself, how your breakfast is turning the steering wheel and pushing the clutch. All the while both you and the machine are heading in the same direction in space and time, your mechanisms winding down. When you get home, be sure to plug in the kettle and rest while you can, because summer’s coming and the outside of the house will probably need painting – again.

Little Ships

Ninety Five per cent of the UK's international trade arrives or leaves by sea... the Government provides support to the industry, with the aim of maintaining and increasing the seafaring skills base...

After reading this on the DfT website recently, under the heading Our Ships - Your Future, I was heartened to see that a similar Government policy seems to exist in the road transport sector (Rooky Wooky, Trucking Magazine, March 2008). But encouraging suitable young drivers into the industry is one thing; keeping them and maintaining their skills is another.

It is estimated that 88% of all the freight transported in this country is by road (Eurostat 2007). The same source states that lorries collecting from a central depot can deliver anywhere in the UK and return within 24 hours. Just like the ships that bring freight into this country, these vehicles are responsible for creating the standard of living we have all come to enjoy. And, like the people who drive and operate them, they are essential if we are to keep it.

We seem to have just settled into the idea of digital tachographs and Euro 5 engines, when a new constraint is being placed on the industry. The onset of driver CPC’s is potentially one of the greatest burdens seen for many years. In time, the cost of this bureaucratic monster will be felt by both driver and operator alike. When spread over a period of five years the requirement does not seem too great, but who is going to pay up for training until they have to? With the minimum block of training apparently set at seven hours, who’s going to write-off a day, until they have to? And, unless they are absolutely sure of the loyalty of their drivers, what firm is going to invest in this training, until they have to? CPC will be allowed to creep up on us all. Enforcement is one way to ensure compliance but it should not be the only course considered, as the DfT recognises with the shipping industry:

...the Government meets roughly up to half of the training costs through the Support for Maritime Training scheme... The Government also supports the industry through the Seafarer Earnings Deduction tax relief scheme... .

The Government is right to encourage safety on our roads through training, as it does at sea. But it should remember: we need the little ships as much as we do the big ones.

A Thing of the Past

Reels of paper on a forty-foot flat,

Chocked with a wedge and topped with a hat,

Back sheet, front sheet, fly sheet last,

Ropes tied with dollies, a thing of the past,

Rows of slabs that need no cover,

Concrete squares that lean on each other,

Front on the headboard, rear made fast,

Ropes tied with dollies, a thing of the past,

Pipes that roll just held by the rave,

With each layer but one to save,

Fibres between that make a cast,

Ropes tied with dollies, a thing of the past,

Timber loaded high on pallets,

Frozen sheets and fists like mallets,

Heaving canvas to the top of the mast,

Ropes tied with dollies, a thing of the past,

Atkinson, Scammell and noisy rigs,

Heavy clutches and drivers digs,

Quiet roads, horizons so vast,

Ropes tied with dollies, a thing of the past,

Vehicle Dynamics: roadholding, handling and stability

The subject of vehicle dynamics covers a number of areas where forces act and affect a vehicle’s movement. These include traction, braking, ride, cornering and steering, all of which depend on the correct working of a variety of components. Suspension, steering and braking systems are all designed to perform in a specific way in order to meet the demands placed on them by the forces generated. It can be said that all of these forces are controlled at the point of contact between the vehicle’s tyres and the road surface; patches often not much larger than the size of a human hand.

Roadholding is about tyre grip. Handliing - the way in which a vehicle responds to the inputs of the driver. And stability? That's about why, or why not, you remain on the road.

ROADHOLDING FUNDAMENTALS
Tyres develop friction in two ways: adhesive friction and mechanical (hysteresis) friction.

Rubber tread compounds with higher hysteresis provide more grip but also generate more heat than those with lower hysteresis.

Tyre rubber compounds differ throughout the tyre’s construction. E.g.Tread compounds are different than those that make up the carcass.

Tyre slip angles are affected by: vertical load, side force, inflation pressure and type of construction (e.g. x-ply or radial).

Low aspect ratio tyres develop greater cornering forces than higher profile tyres. In many cases they will develop a higher cornering force per slip angle than higher profile tyres.

Low aspect ratio tyres have a lower pneumatic trail than tyres with higher aspect ratios.

There is a finite amount of friction available between a tyre and the road surface. When a vehicle is cornering, this friction may have to be shared with traction or braking.

HANDLING FUNDAMENTALS
Suspension distributes the vertical loads on tyres about the vehicle during cornering.

Bump stops are part of the suspension. When a suspension spring deflects enough so that its bump stop comes into use, the suspension rate increases. This in turn will lead to an increase in tyre slip angle at the wheel affected by the bump stop.

The end of a vehicle with the stiffest suspension (in roll) receives an increase in weight transfer.
Shortening a spring increases its spring rate.

Springs control steady state handling while dampers control transient statehandling.

The force exerted by a damper is speed dependent while that exerted by a spring is displacement dependent.

Inclining the roll axis will create a difference in the roll couple between the front and rear of the vehicle.

Anti-roll bars reduce body roll by increasing the roll stiffness of the suspension. This additional stiffness also increases the load transferred to the outer wheel on a bend.

STABILITY FUNDAMENTALS
Vehicle stability is influenced by speed, bend radius, tyre friction, centre of gravity height and track width.

Vehicles become unstable when the effect of the force acting on them sideways overcomes that which is acting downward.

Large vehicles are generally less stable in roll than smaller ones.

A Large vehicle will rollover before it slides sideways, as its roll stability is lower than its tyre friction stability.

Static Stability Factor (SSF) is a measure of vehicle roll stability and is calculated by comparing the forces trying to roll a vehicle with those trying to right it. It can be expressed as the tangent of the angle of a tilt test or by T/2H.

The SSF of a lorry is usually lower than its tyre/road coefficients of friction.

The SSF of a vehicle is an over estimate of its true rollover stability.

The side force on a vehicle travelling through a bend increases with the square of vehicle speed.

A number of factors influence rollover, including the speed of the vehicle, the condition of its tyres and suspension, centre of gravity height and track width.

Body roll is not the same as rollover.

European semi-trailer air suspension systems create roll stiffness by using additional trailing arm springs, or trailing arm pivot bush springs.

Basic Terminology

Aspect ratio

A term used to describe the ratio of a tyres section height to its section width. Aspect ratio is marked on the tyre’s sidewall as a percentage, e.g. 205/55/R13.

A tyre that is not marked in this way will usually have an aspect ratio of about 80% or over.

Camber

Wheel camber is the angle the wheel makes to the vertical.

A wheel that leans outward at the top is said to have positive

Camber, while a wheel that leans inward has negative

camber.

Centre of gravity

The point in a (vehicle’s) body where its weight is said to act. It is sometimes referred to as the centre of mass

Cornering force

The force developed by a tyre’s contact with the road surface that opposes any lateral (side) force on the vehicle. Without the generation of cornering forces a vehicle would not be able to travel in anything other than a straight line. Lateral forces are not only placed on a vehicle when it is cornering but also when it drives along cambered roads or is subject to side winds. Cornering force increases with slip angle and is affected by tyre inflation pressure and the vertical load imposed on the tyre.

Cornering stiffness

Sometimes called cornering power, cornering stiffness is a measure of the tyre’s resistance to contact patch deformation caused by the cornering force.

The rate at which the slip angle increases with cornering force is represented by the tyre’s cornering stiffness. The straight line of the curve of the graph at lower slip angles represents a linear region. The tyre passes through a transition period before stalling and sliding sideways. Tyre inflation and vertical load will affect cornering stiffness.

Damper

A device that absorbs some of the energy in an oscillating system. A suspension damper will oppose the movement of a spring leading to a damped spring oscillation.

Oversteer

The tendency of a vehicle to turn in toward a bend when cornering.

Pitch

Rotation about the lateral (centre) y-axis

Roll

Rotation about the longitudinal (centre) x-axis. A vehicle’s body (comprising a sprung mass) will roll about the roll axis and is the result of a force couple between the vehicle’s centre of gravity and the roll axis. The extent of body roll will depend on a number of factors, including the size of the couple, the lateral acceleration experienced by the vehicle at the centre of gravity and the vehicle’s roll stiffness.

Roll axis

An imaginary line drawn longitudinally between the front and rear roll centres.

Roll centre

The point about which a vehicle’s body will roll. Roll centres are calculated for different suspension configurations. Beam axles have roll centres positioned in the centre of the vehicle usually just above the axle. For independent suspension systems the calculations are more complex.

Both McPherson Strut and Upper and lower link (Wishbone) types have roll centres that are at the intersection of three imaginary lines. The position of the roll centre changes when the suspension deflects.

Roll stiffness

The rate at which the force exerted by a spring counteracts the change in roll angle. A vehicle’s roll stiffness is the resulting resistance to roll due to the total suspension stiffness.

Sinusoidal

Sinusoidal changes of displacement with time are described by sine waves. In a system that is oscillating freely, the energy of the system is constant. In the case of a spring, kinetic energy, the energy of motion, is converted to energy within the spring. A spring with a high spring rate will absorb kinetic energy with less displacement than one with a lower rate.

Slip angle

The difference between the direction that a wheel is pointing and that which it is travelling. The angle between the two is accommodated by distortion of the tyre. Tyres produce slip angle when subject to a side force.

Spring

A device capable of deflecting so as to store energy. Spring rate or stiffness is can be described by Hooke’s Law, which says that extension of the spring is proportional to the tension in it.

Some vehicles, particularly front wheel drive cars, motorcycles and heavy vehicles will have a variable rate suspension. This type is often called ‘rising rate’ or ‘progressive rate’ as the stiffness of the spring increases as more force is applied, and the constant relationship between force and displacement no longer exists.

Motor vehicle springs are used to reduce the vertical velocity of a vehicle due to road shocks. These suspension springs come in a variety of forms. Coil springs are usually made of steel and work in torsion; in fact a coil spring is a coiled torsion bar. Rubber springs work in shear and compression while leaf springs, made of steel or a composite material, work in bending. Gas springs come in two types: fixed mass or variable mass, the latter being air springs that are found on almost all new heavy vehicles.

Spring rate

The change in load (applied force) on a spring per unit of deflection.

Steady state

At a steady state neither inputs nor responses change with time. A cornering vehicle, for example, will be in a steady state when travelling at a constant speed and settled in a position where there is no change in steering input or suspension displacement.

Transient state

Transient state exists when inputs or responses are changing with time. For example, a vehicle will be in a transient state as it enters or leaves a bend. At this time the steering input will be changing and the vehicle’s suspension extending or contracting.

Understeer

The tendency of a vehicle to turn out from a bend when cornering.

Yaw

Rotation about the vertical (centre) z-axis

One and Two Zeros on the Bus

0 – 0 – 0 is on the bus, trucking down the wire,

0 – 0 – 0 is on the bus, setting parts afire,

0 – 0 – 0 is on the bus, with more noughts than some,

0 – 0 – 0 is on the bus, telling what’s to come,

0 – 1 – 0 is on the bus, trucking down the wire,

0 – 1 – 0 is on the bus, setting parts afire,

0 – 1 – 0 is on the bus, waiting for its turn,

0 – 1 – 0 is on the bus, a place in time to earn,

0 – 0 – 1 is on the bus, trucking down the wire,

0 – 0 – 1 is on the bus, setting parts afire,

0 – 0 – 1 is on the bus, its journey not impeded,

0 – 0 – 1 is on the bus, noted though not needed,

0 – 1 – 1 is on the bus, trucking down the wire,

0 – 1 – 1 is on the bus, setting parts afire,

0 – 1 – 1 is on the bus, send it on its way,

0 – 1 – 1 is on the bus, off to have its say,

1 – 0 – 0 is on the bus, trucking down the wire,

1 – 0 – 0 is on the bus, setting parts afire,

1 – 0 – 0 is on the bus, giving us the code,

1 – 0 – 0 is on the bus, lighting up the road,

The Road is Long...

The lecture was being held in the usual place; at the rear of a public house just off the Great North Road. The room usually set aside was comfortable enough but often musty with the scent of old wood and dampness - probably due to a lack of use and investment since the motorway was finished all those years ago. I often try to imagine the place back then - a place to be, when it was in full swing before the new road took away most of its custom. A busy passing trade mingling with the locals, thriving on a stream of new faces, revving engines, alcohol and the music of that era - the 1970’s. As I drove across town from the road that had put an end to all that, hoping to arrive at the meeting at just the right time – not too early and definitely not late - I could sense the contrast between that room and what we have now come to accept as ‘the norm’.

Our world seems to be conditioned in every sense. Strictly controlled temperatures inside everywhere you go, seating designed for complete - and safe - comfort. And everything needed to operate any system always readily to hand. The materials used in our immediate surroundings, those that envelop us, are seamlessly fashioned and assembled giving an impression of soft, cushioned security. Integrity and function with ease, we have it all. But above all there’s an underlying benevolence, unseen though ever present. Electronic, computerised systems, all working to keep us out of harm's way, protecting us no matter what our mistakes or stupidity might bring. The room at the pub was from a different time; a pre-digital age of basic function and harsh reality.

I parked in the car park and walked the short distance to the main entrance, an ornate double oak door and stone surround; a facade that spoke of grander times. Though now shabby with worn, cracked steps and dulled, peeling varnish, it still retained a certain dignity. It struck me that instead of the name of the pub engraved in the stone above the door, it should have the words ‘The Road is Long’, a testament not just to the great road it once served but to the place itself, for enduring quality, charm and longevity. And for its relevance, even today. When floor-to-ceiling, tinted glass windows and stainless steel framework goes out, then maybe stone slabs and heavy woods will be back. Whatever the future brings, the place had stood the test of time and still worked – even if it was a bit ‘musty’.

The Institute provided speakers on a regular basis - and tonight was to be a feast for those interested in Professional Development, with a talk from one of the world’s leading truck manufactures about modern electronic systems. I went along for interest only - age and professional saturation had made the prospect of any development an irrelevance to me some while back. But I was interested, no doubt about that - I had always been fascinated by technology. It was just that I wasn’t always sure about the true benefit of what seemed like full automation - and if there wasn’t still the need for some skill.

I took my seat, close to the back as normal and surveyed the rest of the night's audience. There was the usual batch – fitters, technicians, managers - most at the start of, or at least at a stage in their individual careers, where they felt they could make a difference. The youngest sat at the front, the middle aged, middle managers in their rightful place, and the rest at the back. The speaker (young, an air of intelligence and serious) was introduced by our regional secretary (grey hair, pinstripe suit, retired but hanging on), who was also acting as Chairman for the evening. The lights were dimmed to help out the screen onto which our guest’s presentation was to be projected. We were told to expect information on the very latest in technological advances in vehicle electronics from a man who knew his stuff, an expert in the field. And so the lecture began.

Multiplexing, he told us, not only reduced the amount of wiring needed but more importantly, allowed different components to communicate with each other. Imagine, if you will, he said, the lights knowing that the wipers were on. I tried. Then, imagine that the wipers were on max’ speed – hey presto, the lights come on without the driver touching a button. Why? Well, if the wipers are on full, visibility must be bad, hence the need for lights. I was impressed, and so were the others. I could see the young blood moving forward on their seats, as if closer proximity to the speaker would somehow anoint them with his knowledge. Digital wiring, apparently, was in.

“If driver don’t know he needs lights on, shouldn’t be drivin’ in first place.” A voice said, from somewhere in the audience. I looked around in the direction it had come from and saw its origin a few seats to my right, just across a small aisle that ran down the centre of the room. The rest of the group had also turned to look, but they didn’t linger – the real attraction was at the front and heads were soon nodding in agreement once again to ‘the message’. However, I couldn’t help but to stare a while longer at the figure sitting there. The voice belonged to a rather small, slightly bent, elderly man who ever-so gently rocked backward and forward on his seat. He struck an odd figure, even in a group so varied in age and what would once have been referred to as class, as us. His clothes were clean but old, his shoes highly polished but badly worn. He wore a tie but with a thick, winter shirt, the type not often seen now that we have fleeces that need little underneath. His trousers looked formal, but he wore no jacket, just an old anorak and cardigan. He looked small and out of place amongst the polo shirts and neatly pressed denim that surrounded him.

Eventually, I looked to the front and reconnected with the group. Rollover, we heard next, was a great concern, and very expensive. Murmurs of agreement came from middle managers, both existing and aspiring. Speed and cornering where apparently the danger areas. ABS wheel speed sensors combined with lateral acceleration sensors, linked to processors would monitor stability and ... . He didn’t finish. The Voice, not loud but clear enough, didn’t let him. “Take away power steering, that’ll slow the buggers down on roundabouts”. This time our guest lost a little of his thread and looked a bit taken aback. The Chairman smiled reassuringly at him, raising his eyes to the ceiling momentarily in a gesture of solidarity in the face of such adversity and nodded for him to continue. The speaker rallied, bolstered by the obvious contempt shown by the majority of his audience for this unwarranted interruption.

We soon moved on to electronic pneumatic braking and the advantages such a system brings. Faster application and integrated electronics meant efficient, safe braking. It did mean, though, he said, trailers would need additional connections. The Voice had his own opinion. “Bring back the blue line”, I heard him say (with reference to the secondary braking system once fitted to British artic's). Sharp looks but no words came from the front. The untold benefits of variable cruise control were next on the agenda. We heard how by setting the distance between our truck and the vehicle in front, we could rely on the computer to keep us safe. Even the sudden appearance of another vehicle from a cut-in manoeuvre wouldn’t fox it. Cameras would detect the position of other road users and activate the pre-crash systems if needed, pre-tensioning seat belts and lightly applying brake pads in readiness. “Glass cabs, that’s the best answer. Give ‘em glass cabs. They’d keep a fair distance from other motors then”. The Voice had spoken once again. This time no one turned to look, although there was a lot of sighing, especially from the front - and a few grins from the back.

The lecture finished not long after and the floor was thrown open to questions. They came thick and fast. What diagnostic kit did our expert recommend? How was interference dealt with by the wiring system? What was in the pipeline for the immediate future? And finally, what fitment, in his opinion, would make the greatest contribution to safer driving? I have to admit, I wasn’t at all surprised when The Voice answered for him. “A bloomin’ great spike in middle of steerin’ wheel”, he said. “The point restin’ against ya chest”. A few, including myself, nodded in agreement, and allowed ourselves the luxury of a chuckle.

The evening came to an end and our Chairman thanked the speaker once more. I got up and looked around for The Voice, but of him there was no sign. I left without staying to socialise with the other members of the group, who were now gathering in the bar. My car soon warmed up as I headed home along the motorway. I set the cruise control and the air conditioning and the radio to how I wanted them, and sat there... and sat there.

Neither Could Bother

A slow moving truck,

A driver who could see far,

A driver who could see little,

A fast moving car,

A bridge in their path,

Narrow and twisting,

Room for one,

And both insisting,

They meet in the middle,

Brakes squealing,

Eyes closed,

And that sickening feeling,

Crash went the bumper,

Smash went the light,

“You” said each driver,

Spoiling for a fight,

“You” said the trucker,

You were travelling too fast,

“You” said the other,

You can see me at last,

Both said Reason,

Neither could bother,

Me-me-me,

You’re as bad as each other.

Olympic Gold-rush

Come on Paccar. With an Olympic village to be built in the UK before 2012, representing millions of pounds worth of work for the construction industry, and the traditional mainstay of the British tipper fleet being Foden, get your act together and cash in on it. If you don't, and the testing done in the commercial vehicle press is correct, Scania will be the preferred option - and the much wealthier for it. Foden have always built the best vehicles for this type of work, and they're British(ish) - who better to build our Olympic stadium. So sort out a euro-friendly engine and lets see these results in the 'who built the UK Olympics' race: Foden (United Kingdom) Gold. Scania (Sweden) Silver. DAF (USA - well, we better credit them with something) Bronze.

Trucking Hell

Richard Simpson’s article, Introducing The Intelligent Truck (Trucking magazine, June 2006) was as disturbing as it was informative. In outlining some of the new systems available by multiplexing - using digital wiring technology (CANbus) - he also highlighted how all the major manufactures are heading down the road of giving the Industry what it needs but not necessarily what it will ultimately want. Current systems are designed to help make driving safer and transport operations more efficient but what if they were to insist, not assist. As with most things, it’s only a small step from advice to control: Once we had an overspeed light on the tacho - now we have speed limiters.

Digital wiring has revolutionised motor vehicles and the potential for total control is vast. Individual vehicle multiplexing is only the beginning. Trucks already not only talk to each other but with satellites, radar and mapping programs. It is surely a matter of time before the truck’s computers will be able to determine the features of the road ahead, its topography and layout, and react to all other bodies (man or manmade). Vehicle speed and direction could then vary infinitely, dependent on each situation – all the driver need do is sit back and marvel. The vehicle will dictate course and speed. The vehicle will decide when to overtake, when to brake, and when and where to rest. But don’t worry, you will not be lonely – those with remote access to the truck’s computers will know exactly where you are. Sound familiar? If you have seen the Matrix trilogy of films it should do.

Driving large vehicles is a great skill and if done properly, a hard won one. In achieving that skill comes satisfaction - as with any craft - and, although not always apparent, pleasure. Anyone who enjoys that pleasure will know that collision avoidance is accomplished by intelligent driving and not by (reliance upon) brake assist programs and intelligent cruise control. Optimum fuel consumption is delivered by a coordinated, skilful driver and not (always) via an automated clutch. Common sense, a map and experience will keep the vehicle on route (assisted occasionally by SatNav). And loading systems that are becoming increasingly remote – should occasionally be hands dirty.

No more speed limits, because the truck will decide on what is safe and what is not? No more road signs, as the truck will dictate direction and position? And no more LGV licence – anyone can be trained to monitor a computer, whether it is in an office or travelling at speed along a motorway. Welcome to the Matrix – Trucking Hell.