David Williams: Getting the lowdown on truck safety

Earlier, I inspected a “standard” cement mixer which — also bristling with additional mirrors, movement sensors linked to alarms, CCTV and warning stickers following TfL and industry initiatives — looked as safe as houses. But this tech has been around for a while and statistics show that similarly-equipped trucks still hit cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists as drivers fail to spot them from their elevated cabins that are, paradoxically, needed for off-road construction sites.

The Mercedes is the culmination of intense behind-the-scene talks between hauliers, TfL and manufacturers and it’s the first time a cement mixer has been mounted on this super-low, high-vision truck. Now, depending on TfL’s consultation (bit.ly/2mMih3U), it could become the new norm.

TfL proposes making similar five-star rated “Direct Vision” trucks mandatory in London by 2024, by which time zero, one- and two-starred trucks with old-style vision problems could be banned. Depending on the severity of regulations, even trucks boasting previously unheard-of levels of safety — including those sensors, extra mirrors and audible warnings — won’t make the grade.

As I join Tarmac at its King’s Cross depot, it’s evident the industry is embracing the changes — but it’s clear there’s a tough road ahead. Like other hauliers, Tarmac must continually replace its fleet and — at £100,000 each — they have to last for years. But uncertainty over the new rules means that they’re currently buying “blind” — potentially consigning newly purchased trucks to the used market before the loans are even paid off.

In a model typical across the industry, Tarmac’s drivers are franchisee owner-drivers, meaning they must also buy and run their own trucks. Tarmac buys them in bulk, but sells them on to drivers who make monthly payments of around £1,700 — and who will have to foot the extra cost of that additional safety gear and the bespoke chassis, adding £20,000 per truck.

“We’re enthusiastic and we’ll get the right result but it’s not easy,” Sean McGrae, Tarmac’s senior manager, national transport, says. “We’re the biggest firm and have the clout but for smaller operators it will be hard. Around 180,000 HGVs enter London a year and these new regulations could see 90,000 used trucks hit the market over six years, massively depressing values. Simultaneously, drivers will have to buy costlier new trucks with considerably higher running costs.”

The lower chassis means less engine room, necessitating seven instead of conventional 11-litre diesels. The smaller engines work harder, halving MPG figures and sending running costs and emissions soaring.

Pushing the debate, however, are those casualty figures. HGVs were involved in 22.5 per cent of pedestrian fatalities and 58 per cent of cycle fatalities in London in 2014/15, despite accounting for only four per cent of miles driven. Determined to make roads safer, TfL proposes the “most dangerous” HGVs will be banned from London by 2020.

Older lorries will be “zero-rated” by the proposed “Direct Vision Standard”, determined by the level of vision drivers have from the cab. By setting out their plans now, TfL hopes industry will upgrade as many trucks as possible before new restrictions become law.

With welcome backing from the likes of Tarmac, London’s roads will be safer: new research shows that drivers respond 0.7 seconds more slowly when checking blind spots in monitors and mirrors, compared to looking directly through those big wide windows. It’s enough for a truck to travel an extra 1.5 metres before the driver spots a cyclist or pedestrian — enough to cause death or injury.

“We’re fully behind plans for safer trucks,” McGrae says. “We’re worried about the costs for our drivers — and the behaviour of some cyclists — but our drivers understand the problem and are embracing the new measures.”

As I leave King’s Cross, I’m in no doubt which of the two trucks I’d rather be cycling, walking or driving alongside. The consultation closes on April 18.

@djrwilliams