Performance-based analysis of current South African semi-trailer designs

Abstract

In South Africa, heavy vehicles are currently designed according to stringent prescriptive standards designed and enforced by the national Department of Transport (DoT); these standards are regulated in terms of mass, dimensions and configurations. The current prescriptive standards leave little room for innovative designs. Performance Based Standards (PBS) for heavy vehicles have been developed and implemented in Australia, Canada and New Zealand since the mid-1980s. This is an alternate regulatory system designed to improve the dynamic stability and performance of heavy vehicles. PBS regulates the performance of a vehicle rather than limiting it with regard to size and mass, thus creating more flexibility for innovative designs, increased productivity and improved safety. This paper presents the analysis and evaluation results of five current South African semitrailer combination vehicles assessed in accordance with the PBS approach.