:xtra 161( on cost of truck?
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(Colin Barnett laws could add £6,000 to the cost of a truck, warns fleet management spest Lea Transfleet. According to Mark :ett, Lea Transfleet operations director, tr. the next eight years, changes in )pean legislation are likely to have a sig;ant impact on vehicle specification, particularly regarding environmental issues, and driver, passenger, pedestrian and other road user safety."
The next two stages of vehicle emissions legislation, Euro-4 and 5, are expected to be combined for introduction in 2006, with Euro-6 still under discussion. Front underrun protection and smart-card tachograph rules are due for introduction soon, while extended use of speed limiters and end-of-life vehicle disposal and recycling legislation is also expected. Still under discussion, but likely to be confirmed, is compulsory dynamic stability control for CVs over 7,490kg It doesn't end there, though; the increased use of road charging and other vehicle monitoring, and improved driver safety and comfort will probably mean the addition of more expensive hardware lithe future.
• During trials, a van operator has reported a fuel economy improvement of more than 25% after limiting a van to 68mph (110km/h), Denholm Industrial Services fitted the Siemens VDO VK2000 limiter to a 3.5-tonne Ford Transit, and saw its independently-verlfied fuel consumption improve from 20.92 to 26.33mpg over six months.