ZRrrr
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I know there are a few truckers and people in related industries on here. Found this article interesting.
Lift-axle semi-trailers raise safety alarm
Fatal crashes prompt testing of device
RCMP and trucking industry officials are alarmed about the safety of certain lift-axle semi-trailers in the wake of two fatalities in Alberta.
Tests conducted two weeks ago showed trucks pulling trailers with some designs of lift axles take nearly twice as long to stop under some conditions and the weight on their axles reached levels that could overstress both axles and tires.
RCMP Cpl. Barry Red Iron, the RCMP's forensic collision reconstructionist for southern Alberta, said he began looking into lift axle truck safety after a May 25 crash near Granum in which one man was killed and another seriously injured when a motorcycle collided with a semi-trailer truck.
He said the lift-axle system was likely not a factor in that crash because the trailer was empty, but the Granum fatality and a second one in Calgary raised enough concern to prompt tests at Edmonton Garrison in May and at a testing facility in Hanna Sept. 14.
"There's a lot of systems out there and we started to look at them all," Red Iron said.
"It's cool to have a lift axle. It saves money and gas, but does it stop effectively when the wheels are up or down?"
Lift axles can be raised off the pavement to minimize wear and tear when the truck is unloaded.
Red Iron released the results to participants in the test Wednesday.
"I won't say they are unsafe, but they are not functioning as they should be."
Red Iron said he has shared his information with the province, but nothing has been done to address the issues raised by the tests.
"I tested back in May and the government was there," he said. "It's been four months and they've come to no conclusion. We tested again in September and nothing has really happened."
When asked what action he wanted government to take, Red Iron declined to comment.
The test results shocked truckers and owners of trucking firms. Some said the units that failed the test should be recalled and manufacturers should be advised of the issue and required to address it.
Allen Scraba, of ARS Trucking in Edmonton, said he fears some designs of lift axles are "worse than a ticking time bomb.
"We have a big issue here that has to be dealt with. Sooner or later when a big accident happens, we'll all say: 'We told you so.' "
Scraba, who drove one of the trucks in the Hanna test, said the lift axles on some units become a safety concern when fully-loaded trailers lose air in their suspension system. Rather than having five axles with braking power, the unit has to stop with two.
He said fixing the problem could be expensive. It could cost as much as $48,000 per unit and there are likely thousands of the trailers in Western Canada, he said.
It's not just the cost of repairs that would be problematic, but the cost of taking the units off the road, Scraba said. "It's not a little problem. It's massive."
Wes Clyne, a driver co-ordinator for Jetalta Transport, said he is concerned because the company just bought a number of lift axle trailers.
"We've started looking initially and I don't like what I see, but let's make sure we do good science," he said.
Clyne said there's already a shortage of tanker trailers in the province and if there's a recall or a ban on lift axles, it could have major consequences.
Provincial officials are downplaying the test results.
"Lift axles are certainly not inherently more dangerous than normal ones," Alberta Transportation spokesman Trent Bancarz said.
"If we believed they were dangerous equipment, we wouldn't allow it on our roads."
He said catastrophic air system failures are rare and drivers would likely be alerted to the problem by their instrument gauges.
"Even if you do get a situation where you have a catastrophic failure, you can still stop the vehicle," Bancarz said.
"Just because the air has gone out doesn't mean the truck will collide with anything."
But Vern Pooley, whose company Crude Services Inc. in Stettler operates about 60 semi-trailer units, called the test results "scary.
"Maybe a complete catastrophic air system failure is a rare thing, but when it does happen wouldn't you want to have that safety factor in the back of your mind that you are still going to be able to get stopped?"
Pooley said he is confident in the system on his trailers because it was tested before it was approved.
Rob Mantei of Mantei's Transport in Calgary said the test should be "an eye opener for the manufacturers.
"When we're hauling fuel down the road, which we do, we don't compromise safety. It's all about stopping. When you have a big load on like that, you have to be able to stop."
Alberta opposition parties called on the province to review the test data and take whatever steps are necessary to keep highways safe.
"I think one fatality is too many and I think the government should take a serious look at it and do more inspections," Liberal transportation critic Darshan Kang said. "We should have stringent safety measures in place and we should be enforcing them."
NDP MLA Rachel Notley said the government seems to be following the adage: "When in doubt, do nothing."
"It seems to me that first of all this isn't something we should be hearing from the RCMP. We should be hearing from the government," she said. "When you have a particular safety issue like this, you have to at least let the public know."
Some jurisdictions, like Quebec and California, don't allow mixed axle trailers on their roads.
Read more: Lift-axle semi-trailers raise safety alarm
Lift-axle semi-trailers raise safety alarm
Fatal crashes prompt testing of device
RCMP and trucking industry officials are alarmed about the safety of certain lift-axle semi-trailers in the wake of two fatalities in Alberta.
Tests conducted two weeks ago showed trucks pulling trailers with some designs of lift axles take nearly twice as long to stop under some conditions and the weight on their axles reached levels that could overstress both axles and tires.
RCMP Cpl. Barry Red Iron, the RCMP's forensic collision reconstructionist for southern Alberta, said he began looking into lift axle truck safety after a May 25 crash near Granum in which one man was killed and another seriously injured when a motorcycle collided with a semi-trailer truck.
He said the lift-axle system was likely not a factor in that crash because the trailer was empty, but the Granum fatality and a second one in Calgary raised enough concern to prompt tests at Edmonton Garrison in May and at a testing facility in Hanna Sept. 14.
"There's a lot of systems out there and we started to look at them all," Red Iron said.
"It's cool to have a lift axle. It saves money and gas, but does it stop effectively when the wheels are up or down?"
Lift axles can be raised off the pavement to minimize wear and tear when the truck is unloaded.
Red Iron released the results to participants in the test Wednesday.
"I won't say they are unsafe, but they are not functioning as they should be."
Red Iron said he has shared his information with the province, but nothing has been done to address the issues raised by the tests.
"I tested back in May and the government was there," he said. "It's been four months and they've come to no conclusion. We tested again in September and nothing has really happened."
When asked what action he wanted government to take, Red Iron declined to comment.
The test results shocked truckers and owners of trucking firms. Some said the units that failed the test should be recalled and manufacturers should be advised of the issue and required to address it.
Allen Scraba, of ARS Trucking in Edmonton, said he fears some designs of lift axles are "worse than a ticking time bomb.
"We have a big issue here that has to be dealt with. Sooner or later when a big accident happens, we'll all say: 'We told you so.' "
Scraba, who drove one of the trucks in the Hanna test, said the lift axles on some units become a safety concern when fully-loaded trailers lose air in their suspension system. Rather than having five axles with braking power, the unit has to stop with two.
He said fixing the problem could be expensive. It could cost as much as $48,000 per unit and there are likely thousands of the trailers in Western Canada, he said.
It's not just the cost of repairs that would be problematic, but the cost of taking the units off the road, Scraba said. "It's not a little problem. It's massive."
Wes Clyne, a driver co-ordinator for Jetalta Transport, said he is concerned because the company just bought a number of lift axle trailers.
"We've started looking initially and I don't like what I see, but let's make sure we do good science," he said.
Clyne said there's already a shortage of tanker trailers in the province and if there's a recall or a ban on lift axles, it could have major consequences.
Provincial officials are downplaying the test results.
"Lift axles are certainly not inherently more dangerous than normal ones," Alberta Transportation spokesman Trent Bancarz said.
"If we believed they were dangerous equipment, we wouldn't allow it on our roads."
He said catastrophic air system failures are rare and drivers would likely be alerted to the problem by their instrument gauges.
"Even if you do get a situation where you have a catastrophic failure, you can still stop the vehicle," Bancarz said.
"Just because the air has gone out doesn't mean the truck will collide with anything."
But Vern Pooley, whose company Crude Services Inc. in Stettler operates about 60 semi-trailer units, called the test results "scary.
"Maybe a complete catastrophic air system failure is a rare thing, but when it does happen wouldn't you want to have that safety factor in the back of your mind that you are still going to be able to get stopped?"
Pooley said he is confident in the system on his trailers because it was tested before it was approved.
Rob Mantei of Mantei's Transport in Calgary said the test should be "an eye opener for the manufacturers.
"When we're hauling fuel down the road, which we do, we don't compromise safety. It's all about stopping. When you have a big load on like that, you have to be able to stop."
Alberta opposition parties called on the province to review the test data and take whatever steps are necessary to keep highways safe.
"I think one fatality is too many and I think the government should take a serious look at it and do more inspections," Liberal transportation critic Darshan Kang said. "We should have stringent safety measures in place and we should be enforcing them."
NDP MLA Rachel Notley said the government seems to be following the adage: "When in doubt, do nothing."
"It seems to me that first of all this isn't something we should be hearing from the RCMP. We should be hearing from the government," she said. "When you have a particular safety issue like this, you have to at least let the public know."
Some jurisdictions, like Quebec and California, don't allow mixed axle trailers on their roads.
Read more: Lift-axle semi-trailers raise safety alarm
Lift axles have been around for years, more so in the oilfield around my neck of the woods but down east on the highways because of different GVW laws. With my experiences with manual lifts on a legally loaded tridem it would transfer up to 2000 kgs to the drive axle and create less drag for the trailer. A nice thing to have when behind a tow tractor. 
