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MAINTAINING PUBLIC'S SAFETY

By the Technical Editor

Public Service Vehicle Annual Inspection—Large Operator

AS any operator of a public service vehicle is aware. each of his vehicles is subject to an annual inspection by a Ministry of Transport vehicle examiner. This is usually carried out on the operator's own premises. and the inspections are additional to the certificate of fitness examinations done by the certifying officers at the appropriate intervals of anything up to seven years.

Annual inspections arc not usually made as spot checks. An examiner makes an appointment with the operator so that he can arrange for the vehicle to be, out of service on the day in question. This may also give the operator time to prepare the vehicle if necessary. I witnessed two such inspections, one being of a double-deck bus operated by Birmingham Transport Department and the other a coach on the strength of an operator in Staffordshire.

The examination of the Birmingham bus took place in Yardley Wood Garage, where there are 130 doubledeckers based on varying makes of chassis. The particular vehicle inspected had a Daimler CVD6 chassis and a Metropolitan-Cammell all-metal 54-seat body. This bus was first placed in service on October 31, 1949; thus it was coming to the end of its second five-year certificate of fitness.

Other than having been washed and the chassis cleaned. this vehicle had not been prepared for the examination and had been in service the previouS day. I was amazed at its cleanliness and sound mechanical condition, both with respect to the bodywork and chassis. The vehicle was indeed a credit to its owners and the staff of the garage, who had not been warned of the visit and who had, therefore, not prepared the bus specially.

Briefly, the examiner's procedure started with taking

Ministry of Transport Certifying Officers and Vehicle Examiners are Responsible for Seeing that all Public Service Vehicles are Kept in a Safi, Condition : Passenger

Comfort Also Receives Consideration

details of the bus, and then inspecting the body both inside and out. He next dealt with the driver's cab, controls and switches, and then checked the engine. This was followed by a thorough chassis examination and, finall, an inspection of the steering gear. After this the bus was taken out on to the road for checking body rattles. noise and comfort, and braking tests.

Dealing with the inside of the bus first, the examiner commenced by making a surprisingly rapid but thorough visual and physical check for loose seats, grab rails and other fittings. Checks were then made as to the easy operation of the front window blind, ventilators, opening windows and the emergency exit, particular emphasis being placed on the correct lettering on the emergency window.

A check was also made to ensure that all the bell pushes worked correctly, and it was in this respect that the only fault was found on the whole vehicle. The last driver of the bus had indulged in the common practice of putting some packing between the bell and its striker to quieten it.

Outside the bus the examiner checked that the rear lights and reflectors were in order and again verified that the "Emergency Exit lettering was in place. Checks were also made for loose body panels and screws, and when passing up the side of the bus he assessed the strength and security of the guard rails.

While climbing into the driver's cab the examiner checked the operation of the door lock and the soundness of the door hinges. Sitting in the seat he assured himself of its mounting and mechanism and the operation of the hand brake and the driver's emergency window.

Turning to the electrical side, he inspected the fuses (pennies are sometimes found instead of fuse wire, but not in this case) and then proceeded to cheek that the saloon lights were working. At first I was baffled as to how he could see that the upper saloon lights were on. but discovered that he was making use of the reflection of these lights on buses parked each side of the one he was inspecting.

Further examinations dealt with the instrument-panel illumination, horn. driving lights, direction indicators. mirrors, opening windscreen, and driver's rear blind. The examiner then walked round the front of the vehicle to judge the condition of the front-end metalwork, and next examined the engine, taking particular note that all cotter and split pins were in position in the injection-pump linkages, and that there were no loose pieces of equipment. General cleanliness was also observed, and while the bonnet was open a brief inspection was made of the upper end of the near-side front shock absorber.

Descending into the pit the examiner started at the rear of the vehicle by inspecting the condition of the underside of the platform, body framing, interior surfaces of the skirt panels and rearmost body mountings.

Using a torch, he checked the rear-spring shackles and the automatic-lubricator pipes, and paid particular attention to the condition of the shackle-pin cotters. To verify. that none of the spring leaves was broken, the examiner held the torch obliquely to the springs so that the beam thus cast would show up any cracks. Brake linkages were then examined, as were the automatic adjusters and the thickness of the brake facings. As this bus had open-type brake assemblies, the examiner was also able to feel the insides of the drums for smoothness.

As he passed forward he could inspect the condition of the chassis frame for rust and loose b'olts, and forward of the rear axle he had a look at the underside of the skirt panels, guard rail brackets, silencer mountings and fueltank brackets.

Close examination of the underside of the batteries revealed them to be dry; any moisture would have indicated a possible acid leak. The automatic lubricator also was checked for leaks, after which a thorough examination of the rear propeller shaft was made, to the extent of seeing that all the nuts still had sharp corners.

As he continued forward the examiner looked at all the body mountings and the gearbox and dynamo mounting points, giving the dynamo-drive belts a check for condition and tightness. The forward propeller shaft received the same treatment as the rear, and inspections were made on the hand-brake and gear-change linkages (this bus had a Self-Changing Gears transmission), the vacuum-reservoir mountings, and the cleanliness and general condition of the main brake servo motor. He noted that all the dust covers were in place on this motor, so that its interior condition would be reasonably clean.

Mountings Checked

The rear engine mountings were then inspected, as were the forward body mountings, following which a complete check of the front suspension, steering arms, shock absorbers, brake linkages, brake facings, brake drums, pedal pivots, radiator mountings, and forward engine mountings was carried out. The absence of oil and water leaks was noted.

One of the department's fitters then raised the front axle on jacks and the steering was put on to full right lock to enable the examiner to inspect the off-side front body outrigger brackets, local electrical cables, the security of the shackle-pin cotters, the condition of the brake hose, the cottering of the hand-brake ratchet pawl, the security of the drop arm, and, from the other side of the vehicle, the near-side front wing mounting.

After the examiner had checked the axle stops, the front wheels were then put on full left lock and an inspection was carried out on the near-side-front brake servo, linkages and hose. Steering back-lash was found to be nil, and free movement in the wheel bearings and king pins was negligible, the examiner using a lever to rock the wheels for this purpose.

During the course of this inspection, it was discovered n18 that the near-side front brake had been taken up too far by the automatic adjuster, and this had to be slackened off before the examiner could check the wheel bearings.

This completed the static inspections, and the bus was then taken on to the road to ascertain the general degree of comfort and noise level and carry out brake tests. These were made from 20 m.p.h., the examiner having attached a Tapley meter to the rear body bulkhead adjacent to the loading platform. With the foot brake, 67-per-cent. efficiency was achieved, 34 per cent, being obtained with the hand brake., On returning to the garage, the examiner again went beneath the chassis to verify that movement of the springs on the road had not revealed any broken leaves and, this being done, the examination was complete. It had lasted exactly an hour.

Public Service Vehicle Inspection Small Operator

ON the afternoon of the same day 1 joined another examiner who had arranged to conduct an annual inspection on a Foden 35-seat coach. This, like the Birmingham bus, was almost 10 years old. The chassis had a Gardner 6LW engine and the composite body had been built by Bellhouse Hartwell.

The vehicle was one of a fleet of 15 owned by the operator, and had been bought in used condition. It was mainly engaged in workmen's transport in colliery areas. For this reason, the coach was by no means up to luxury standards and, furthermore, it was not remarkably clean. The operator apologized for this, and explained that his steam-cleaning apparatus was temporarily out of action.

Before starting the annual inspection, the examiner gave a clearance check to a 1955 Commer 41-seat coach; this, on his previous visit, had been given a P.S.V.102 vehicle inspection report, which notifies the operator of various defects. This report is intended as a help to the operatoi, being a record of defects found which are not serious enough to justify suspension of the public service vehicle licence. If serious defects are found, an operator is handed a P.S.V.71, which has the effect of suspending the licence, removal of such suspension being notified by means of a P.S.V.72 issued by the examiner when the vehicle has been brought up to scratch.

In the case of the Commer, the initial examination had revealed that the steering-box mounting bolts were slightly loose, allowing column rock: the rubber grommets supporting the hand-brake rod were badly worn: and some bolts were missing from a flitch plate forming part of the luggage-boot underframing. These defects had been rectified by the time of our visit, so the coach was cleared and the P.S.V.102 was signed to this effect.

As with the Birmingham bus, the vehicle examiner began his inspection of the Foden coach by investigating the condition of the body interior. This revealed that some interior lights were not working, that one was missing altogether. and that two went out when the luggage rack was shaken. One of the seats was loose and another was completely missing, whilst all the sliding windows were stiff to operate and none of the bell pushes worked.

There was no lettering on the outside of the emergency door, and its slam pillar was loose at its lower end. The main body framing was checked next, the method used being for the examiner, standing sideways, to grasp the top of two seats on the same side of the body, put his foot up against the waist rail and shove as hard as possible.

Frequently this treatment is found to produce a considerable bow in composite-construction bodies (although

n this case), and it has been known for a vehicle to A out of service because the bow in the body side ;ufficient to make the vehicle over-width.

e under-chassis examination revealed that the steering , which should be polished bright to reveal cracks, rusty: the exhaust tailpipe was holed: the batteries ed signs of moisture: and the rear propeller shaft !, was loose.

ter steering checks, the coach, was taken out for brake A foot-brake stop from 20 m.p.h. with the engine ng gave a Tapley meter figure of 76 per cent., and a id check was then made with the engine stopped this Foden system there was no braking boost with Al engine), and this produced a Tapley meter reading per cent., which was passable in the circumstances. land brake gave 28 per cent.

a result of this inspection, the operator was handed :.V.102, and so was able to continue to operate the Le while he had the necessary repairs carried out.

e results of any passenger-vehicle examination are Lied on an internal form (P.S.V.32) kept at the local ;try office, so that there is a permanent record of annual inspection.

tifie ate of Fitness )ection

1 witness a certificate of fitness inspection, I accom

■ anied one of the West Midland Traffic Area certifyAces to the Lea Hall garage of Birmingham ;port Department. There, prior notice had been red that a double-decker, JOJ 23, was to be inspected. is a 54-seater with Metropolitan-Cammell bodywork Daimler CVD.6 chassis. Ten years old, it was to so its third certificate inspection

this the certifying officer had the assistance of a :e examiner who was present to ensure the accuracy

e asurements and so on. The examination followed eneral lines of an annual inspection, but in addition fficer had to be satisfied that the vehicle conformed respects to the Conditions of Fitness Regulations.

re are, in all, 50 regulations made under the Road c Act. 1930, covering design, dimensions, weights. ity, and the general construction of both chassis and The certifying officer has to verify that all these ]implied with, in addition to seeing that the vehicle is ound and roadworthy condition, Some of the regulaare a little complicated by the fact that parts of apply to vehicles first registered before or after n dates, and the provisos contained in them have to nsidered according to the age of the vehicle.

rting with the body, the officer whom I was watching tred the entrance and steps, gangways, internal ts of each saloon, distances between seats, and the ;ency door dimensions. A note was taken of the er and position of bell pushes, lights and ventilators, te condition and security of all parts were checked. g comfort was given particular attention.

tifying officers are for, the most part in full agreeas to the application of the regulations, and it is Dn detail matters that divergence of views may be . The difference in application arises from the form n-ding of the regulations, which may give rise to dual opinions.

wever, at their conferences, which are held every six

Is, conflicting views are usually reconciled. For )1e, the regulations, when dealing with bell pushes, state that an efficient means shall be provided to : passengers on any deck to signal to the driver. It is

up to a certifying officer to decide whether there are s'uflicient bell pushes and whether they are conveniently sited.

I was interested to learn that a certifying officer, when checking that windows are of toughened safety glass, can employ spectacles with polarized lenses which reveal the type of glass if no markings are present. In any event, it is really up to the operator to satisfy the officer that the glass is of a safety variety.

Another point concerning windows as covered by Regulation 39 was that the Birmingham officer regarded as essential some form of transverse grab rail running adjacent to the forward windows of each deck, these being useful for passengers to hold to avoid being thrown against the glass should violent braking be necessary.

Following his thorough examination of both saloons, the officer went down to the pit to inspect the chassis, and he followed a similar routine to that used for an annual examination. Some points required attention. For example, the nuts securing the steering arms were splitpinned only. This could allow the studs to work loose in the manner of set pins, and for safety the officer considered that the studs should be wired together to prevent their individual movement (wiring is employed by most manufacturers at these points nowadays).

The question of locking nuts is another point where an officer has some latitude in respect of the regulations, The 1958 Regulations allow the use of proprietary types of self-locking nut, and whilst the officer whose work was witnessing was prepared to accept them on some components. he considered that on brake linkages, which are subject to appreciable vibration, castellated nuts and split pins should be fitted.

After the pit inspection, exterior dimensions were marked on the floor with the aid of a plumb bob and chalk. These dimensions consisted of the overall length and width, wheelbase, rear overhang, wheel tracks, guard-rail height. and ground clearance. Tyre sizes and ratings were noted and considered in relation to the total laden weight of the vehicle.

Brakes Tested

When this work inside the garage was completed, a road test was undertaken and the efficiency of the brakes measured and recorded.

To cover the points requiring attention, the officer issued a form, P.S.V.131. on which they were itemized; the form also advised the operator of the proposed period of the new certificate. The discretionary powers of an officer must. of course, where no specific dimensions are quoted, give rise to differences of opinion regarding the precise application of regulations. The Act recognizes this, and any operator who feels aggrieved by a decision of an officer can appeal to the Minister.

When rectification has been completed and the proposed period of certification agreed. the P.S.V.131 iF cleared. Its details are recorded on the report which contains all particulars of that vehicle, and a certificate is prepared and signed by the officer for issue to the operator.

Watching this inspection convinced me that this officer at any rate was particularly fair in his assessments of the condition of the vehicle, especially in view of the latitude existing in many sections of the regulations. Powers of certifying officers are quite broad, however: if, for example. he suspects that the framing of a vehicle with a composite body is defective, he may require that panels be removed to verify the condition of the timber. Thus there is little that escapes the certifying officer, but similarly tittle of which an operator need be afraid if he has maintained his vehicle in accordance with the general interests of public safety and passenger comfort.