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Pakistan's Creative Truckers Run into a Road Block

by Naima Sadeque
THE metallic studs and whorls which make lorries in Pakistan more like mobile art displays than vehicles are under fire from energy conservationists.
But it is not just the moulded and beaten tin strips which are coming in for criticism: so, too. is the special design of the driver's cqb, adapted by truckers to meet their long-distance needs.
The colourfully decorated trucks are very popular In Pakistan and have even earned a place in the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Quebec.
Drivers love to paint their vehicles, covering every square inch in dazzling colours, with battle scenes, glamorous women and floral designs brightening up the bodywork. The metal additions compete the picture. They are nailed on In stripe and patterns that glint in the sun.
But they make the sides of the trucks uneven and that, says the National Energy Conservation Centre (Ener-con), increases air resistance and thus fuel consumption.
Most trucks also carry a mechanic who doubles as relief driver. Since the only stops are for refuelling and meals there is a need for a sleeping area in which one man can take a nap while the other takes a turn at the wheel.
For decades truckers have used a wooden "cradle" structure built directly above thb driver's cab, like a crown. This protuberance also increases air resistance.
In addition, overloading of trucks Is common among traders anxious to get the most out of each journey. Truckers stack their cargoes high but by loading vertically they raise the centre of gravity and increase instability.
Countless accidents have
occurred, especially on uneven and mountainous roads as the teetering loads disturb the balance of the vehicle.
The combined effect of the adaptations is considerable aerodynamic drag, which pushes up fuel consumption.
A study by Enercon has found that about three-quarters of the drag is created by pressure on or around the front corners of the truck or trailer', and that 15 per cent occurs at the rear of the trailer.
It recommends that truckers get rid of the encumbrances. It suggests that a sleeping area could be built inside the vehicle behind the driver's seat. Many drivers, however, are unaccustomed to sleeping in an enclosed space, preferring to sleep in the open.
Enercon reckons that a typical streamlined truck running
12,000 kilometres (7,440 miles) a month could cut fuel consumption by 7 per cent a month. With 72,000 trucks on the road, says the Centre, that would amount to 241.92 million liters of fuel or Rs. 259 million (US $10.72 million).
- Set up by the government in 198© with the help of the US Agency for International Development, Enercon has also demonstrated the energy savings which can be obtained by vehicle tuning, a method of adjusting engines to obtain maximum efficiency.
In two projects spread over six months, it was found that fuel consumption for 600 properly tuned cars in Karachi and 1,200 cars in Islamabad was cut by 11 per cent and carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions were reduced by more than 40 per cent. Information about the results, however, has been given little publicity,