What are Safe, Productive, Infrastructure-Friendly Vehicles (SPIF)?
As the name implies, Safe, Productive, Infrastructure-Friendly (SPIF) vehicles are designed to be as productive as possible while ensuring their performance characteristics meet or exceed national guidelines and that heavy truck damage to roads and bridges is minimized. Highway Traffic Act regulations are now causing a migration of tractor-trailers to the 13 SPIF alternatives. Highway safety will improve as SPIF vehicles provide superior stability and control and can operate within acceptable amounts of space when turning or making emergency manoeuvres. In addition, the heavy 5 and 6-axle SPIF semi-trailers are equipped with an enhanced braking system to minimize the risk of brake failure and warn the driver of potential problems. A number of SPIF semi-trailers make use of self-steering axles in place of rigid lift-axles. The self-steering axles remain on the road at all times when the vehicle is loaded so that all axles take their proper share of the weight and contribute to the stabi
