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20/04/2011
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From July, it will be mandatory for all new trucks and buses to be fitted with ESC (electronic stability control) equipment, starting with two-axle tractive units, in accordance with Economic Commission for Europe regulation 13.
 That reminder comes from the IRTE (Institute of Road Transport Engineers) as it publishes its new Vehicle Rollover guide. All new trailers over10 tonnes gross weight are already coved by the legislation.
IRTE's guide concedes that, in 2008, there were 9,040 reported accidents in the UK involving HGVs, rigid and articulated, only 5% of which related to vehicle rollover, but makes the point that "it is the manner in which these accidents occur and the outcome that is the concern".
Vehicle rollover also costs a great deal of money, recovering vehicles, repairing vehicles and roadways and replacing damaged load.
The IRTE rollover publication then provides details to prime causes of rollover, how rollover threshold is calculated and the impact of vehicle set-up – loads, tyre pressure, suspension etc – before going into methods of prevention.
Apart from the importance of driver education and behaviour, truck loading, tyre pressures etc, it points to several commercially available devices said to assist with rollover prevention.
Devices listed include: Knorr-Bremse's ESP that "adjusts the direction of travel and speed of the complete combination and automatically stabilises the vehicle in critical conditions"; Wabco's ABS system, which incorporates Roll Stability Control and Roll Stability Support; and Scania's Driver Support, which provides driver prompts based on a series of sensors around the vehicle.
It also describes Cambridge University Engineering Department's developed Active Roll Control development, which relies on active suspension.
Copies of the publication are available from IRTE.
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Author
Brian Tinham
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