EDMONTON – Tests conducted by police in Alberta apparently show that some lift-axle tractor-trailers can take nearly twice as long to stop in certain conditions.

According to the Edmonton Journal, the tests — conducted by the RCMP’s forensic collision reconstructionist in the wake of two traffic fatalities — also show that weight on some designs of lift axles reached levels that could overstress both axles and tires.

RCMP Cpl. Barry Red Iron began examining lift axle truck safety after two crashes earlier this year involving commercial vehicles.
At a press conference yesterday, he stopped short of calling lift axles unsafe, but said some systems aren’t "functioning as they should be."

"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?"

Red Iron said he has notified provincial officials of the test results, but so far hasn’t heard what the government plans to do with the information.

Truckers told the newspaper they’re aware of problems with fully loaded trailers equipped with lift axles losing air in the suspension system, reducing the braking power on some axles.

Allen Scraba, of ARS Trucking in Edmonton, which participated in the RCMP tests, said some designs are "worse than a ticking time bomb."

Provincial officials are downplaying the test results, adding that air system failures specifically with lift axles are rare, the Journal reports.

"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."

Rob Mantei of Mantei’s Transport said the test should be "an eye-opener" for manufacturers.