The Automotive Blog

Heavy vans have the worst MoT pass rate of any vehicle type seen on UK roads, so commercial vehicle workshops could get new business if they aim their direct marketing at van users, according to the Retail Motor Industry Federation. 

Data from the UK’s Vehicle and Operator Services Agency show vans between 3.0 and 3.5 tonnes had failure rate 44.7%, the worst of any vehicle in the year 2007-2008. 

Stephen Coles, head of the RMIF’s MoT technical operations says that high failure rate clearly shows a lack of maintenance.  “Owners may not realise that prevention could be cheaper than cure in the long run.  This means that with correctly targeted marketing, commercial vehicle repairers could generate new business.”

aide automotive offer workshop test tools for commercial garages, BrakeCheck, ABS Sesnsor Tester, Midtronics Battery Testers and diagnostics tools are mention a few.

To improve commercial vehilce maintenance any of the above products would be of value to a commercial workshop stated Matthew Burke Sales Director of aide automotive ltd.

Fleet maintenance is crucial in running a safe, efficient and cost effective transport operation. The penalties for your failure to do so, or your failure to the adherence of your Operator License requirements are severe, and can result in the closure of your business.

Drivers and Operators must have a system in place to be able to report promptly any defects or symptoms of defects that could adversely affect the safe operation of their vehicles.

Safety inspections must include those items covered by the appropriate Department for Transport annual test. They should be pre-planned preferably using a time based programme and must be regularly monitored particularly in the early stages. There must be a system to ensure that unroadworthy vehicles are removed from service. Any remedial work carried out arising from safety inspections must be the subject of a written record.

The above text is extracted from the Transports Friend Website.

aide automotive’s products help operators complete vehicle inspections, BrakeCheck is highly accepted by VOSA for inspection sheet brake testing, other products such as TrailerCheck can test and prep a trailer for inspections or MOT.

Brake Light Check is a low cost easy to install device to check brake lights are operational.

aide automotive have released a web site dedicated to the BrakeCheck decelerometer.
BrakeCheck is ideal for any commercial vehicle operator or repairer to complete the often requested inspection sheet brake test.
BrakeCheck has no connection to the vehicle, simply position the brake tester in the vehicle, arm for test, accelerate to 20KPH and activate a controlled emergency stop. Once the vehicle has come to rest the Peak & Average deceleration is recorded with the extra benefit of a left and right pull measurement. Brake Efficiency is usual word for Peak Deceleration.
VOSA recommend decelerometers for all commercial vehicle inspection sheet brake tests!

Richard Dixon of VOSA – Statement On Inspection Brake Testing

If an operator conducts a decelerometer test on the vehicle during inspections then as a Vehicle Examiner I would be quite happy that an efficiency check of some kind had been conducted.

aide automotive are pleased to offer a special purchase price for our excellent brake tester BrakeCheck.

Sales of BrakeCheck have grown since 2002 to a massive 8000 plus testers sold, making BrakeCheck the number ONE decelerometer in the UK.

With many bus & coach companies from small to national operators purchasing BrakeCheck to complete an inspection sheet brake test, aide automotive are pleased to offer a special deal for a BrakeCheck when purchased with a printer.

So for June 09 only you can buy a BrakeCheck for just £274.00 (list price (£349.00) when purchased in conjuction with a printer at a list price of £145.00.

To take up on this great offer phone 0115 8456471 and quote promotional code 6BC09.

All prices exclude carriage & VAT.

The UKmotorist.com website has an interesting article on braking systems & stopping distances.

The report highlights that Every year 14,500 – 16,000 large goods vehicles are involved in UK crashes.

Further advice and recommendations are reviewed in the report, to read more click here.

aide automotive advises to check brakes regularly, BrakeCheck is the ideal tester for commercial vehicles inspection sheet brake test.

Daily walkround check or first use inspection

The check should consist of a walkround look over the whole vehicle or combination. The check should cover the external condition, ensuring in particular that the lights, tyres, wheel fixings, bodywork, trailer coupling, load and ancillary equipment are serviceable. Assistance may be required at some time during the inspection, for example to see that lights are working. A check of wheel nuts must be included as part of a driver’s inspection routine, if wheel trims are fitted, they will have to be removed in order to allow access. Loose wheel nuts feature regularly in the issue of prohibitions (PG9s) and are an obvious and potentially fatal road safety hazard.

Preventative Maintenance Inspections (PMI)

You must also ensure that vehicles are subject to preventative maintenance inspections (PMIs) in line with the time basis specified in your maintenance contract. Your PMI regime must include brake testing. Advice from the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA) states that reliable brake testing will require access to either a decelerometer or (preferably) a brake roller tester, the latter being available for public use at all goods vehicle testing stations subject to a nominal axle fee.
Operators who do not implement a full maintenance regime, but rely instead on annual test presentations as their main inspection indicator, will be reported to the Traffic Commissioner for non-compliance with an important undertaking attached to their licence. A poor annual test pass rate is indicative of an inadequate forward planning maintenance system.

Link to Transport Friends for further info: CLICK HERE

Faulty brakes are a common cause of accidents not just in the UK.  Regular brake testing can help prevent such incidents as;

Sierra Leone
HGV accident in Freetown
At least 4 people died and many others were injured following a lorry collision early on Thursday in east Freetown. Mechanical failure saw an advancing lorry fail to brake, and then collide with a stationary lorry, laden with coal and timber, awaiting fuel. Neither lorry was displaying lights and most of the dead and injured were travelling on the back of one of the lorries. 10th October 2008

Luxembourg
HGV customs checks find shortcomings

In the last week HGV technical inspections at the Mertert customs check point in eastern Luxembourg have revealed 21 vehicles with 34 mechanical failings, primarily brakes, steering and suspension. The deficiencies of 3 German lorries saw them immediately banned and towed back to Germany. One lorry with 54 tonnes was 37% over its legal capacity, another notable finding was the number of drivers failing to adhere to mandatory rest periods. 29th October 2008.

USA

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported

That in 2004, 416,000 large trucks were involved in traffic crashes in the U.S., that a total of 5,190 people died (12% of all the traffic fatalities reported in 2004) and an additional 116,000 were injured in those crashes. One out of eight traffic fatalities in 2004 resulted from a collision involving a large truck. In a widely cited study it was reported that brake defects were common and were found in 56% of the tractor-trailers involved in crashes. In the more recent Large Truck Crash Causation Study sponsored by DOT, it was concluded that 29.4% of all large truck crashes involved brake failure, brakes out of adjustment, or other brake related issues.

Brake efficiency and balance is usually checked on a roller brake tester. In certain cases where a roller brake tester may not be used (for example on certain 4-wheel drive vehicles) it may be necessary to check brake efficiency and balance on a road test, with a portable decelerometer.

What Is It?

The Tapley Brake Test Meter is a scientific instrument, indisputable in its accuracy as it is based on one of the basic laws of applied physics. It consists of a finely balanced pendulum free to respond to any changes in speed or angle, working through a quadrant gear train to rotate a needle round a dial. To damp out all vibration, the instrument is filled with a special fluid not sensitive to changes in temperature. No maintenance is necessary. The same meter can be used to test all types of vehicles, from heavy trucks and buses to vans and passenger cars. It needs no electrical connections and it’s so portable that you can take the Tapley Meter to the vehicle instead of the other way around.

How Does It Work?

To set the instrument for a brake test, start by loosening the two butterfly nuts at the sides of the swivel-mounting bracket. Tilt the head until the main needle (with arrow) is set at 3.5 if the unit is in meters or 13.4 if in feet with the face of the instrument JUST BACK FROM THE VERTICAL. This is important because it can be set with the face nearly horizontal, but it would then be near the end stop and would not move anticlockwise. When set in this manner the butterfly nuts can be tightened again, and the instrument is ready to start the test as pictured to the left.

With the main needle set, the recording needle (without arrow) should be turned clockwise by means of the chrome knob in the middle of the dial until it is against the left hand side of the main needle. The vehicle is then driven along a level road at about 20 miles per hour or 30 kph, and the brakes fully applied by means of the foot brake pedal only. When the vehicle has stopped the brake efficiency reading can be taken from the figure shown by the recording needle on the inner brake scale. Stopping distance readings are taken from the outer scale figures. A similar reading should now be taken from a lower speed using the handbrake only.

Tapley Testers have now been replaced with mordern electronic testers such as BrakeCheck from aide automotive ltd