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Airtec helps transport fleets unlock greater efficiency

Airtec’s smart OBM weight sensors and digital tyre inflators are revolutionising fleet management. Here’s how.

In the rapidly evolving world of fleet management, efficiency and cost-effectiveness are more crucial than ever. Investing in advanced technologies such as Airtec’s smart On-Board Weighing (OBM) weight sensors and workshop digital tyre inflators can be a game-changer for your operations. These cutting-edge tools not only streamline your fleet management processes but also lead to significant savings, reduced maintenance needs, and enhanced overall performance.

Airtec’s smart OBM weight sensors provide real-time weight data. Image: Airtec

Cost savings through precision and efficiency

Airtec’s smart OBM weight sensors offer a revolutionary approach to managing payloads. These sensors provide real-time weight data, allowing fleet managers to optimise load distribution and avoid overloading. By adhering to legal weight limits, companies can avoid costly fines and penalties associated with overloading. Additionally, the ability to accurately measure payloads helps in maximising vehicle efficiency. This precision translates to less maintenance and better fuel economy, driving down operational costs and improving your bottom line.

The workshop digital tyre inflators from Airtec further enhance cost savings. By maintaining optimal tyre pressure, these inflators prevent under-inflation and over-inflation, which can lead to increased fuel consumption and accelerated tyre wear. Consistent and accurate tyre pressure helps in extending the lifespan of tyres, reducing the frequency of replacements, and lowering overall maintenance costs.

Decreasing frequency of maintenance

Properly maintained equipment is crucial for fleet longevity and reliability. Airtec’s smart OBM weight sensors contribute to decreased maintenance frequency by ensuring that vehicles are not overloaded, which can strain the suspension and other critical components.

Similarly, digital tyre inflators play a pivotal role in reducing maintenance needs. Proper tyre pressure is essential for optimal vehicle performance and safety. Over-inflated or under-inflated tyres can lead to uneven wear and an increased risk of blowouts. Airtec’s digital inflators ensure that tyres are consistently inflated to the correct pressure, minimising the likelihood of tyre-related issues and the need for frequent repairs.

Enhancing payload and vehicle performance

One of the key benefits of Airtec’s smart OBM weight sensors is their ability to optimise payload distribution. Even weight distribution is essential for vehicle stability and performance. By ensuring that loads are evenly distributed, fleet operators can improve vehicle handling, enhance safety, and increase the overall payload capacity. This means more efficient use of each trip, maximising revenue potential while maintaining safety standards.

Moreover, by maintaining proper tyre pressure through Airtec’s digital inflators, it enhances vehicle performance. Correctly inflated tyres improve fuel efficiency, provide better traction, and ensure a smoother ride. This not only contributes to a more comfortable driving experience but also prolongs the life of the vehicle and its components.

Compliance and safety

Compliance with weight regulations is not just a legal obligation but also a matter of safety. Overloading vehicles can lead to dangerous driving conditions, increased wear and tear, and potential accidents. Airtec’s smart OBM weight sensors help ensure that your fleet operates within legal weight limits, promoting safety and compliance. By avoiding overloading, you protect your vehicles, drivers, and the public, while also avoiding hefty fines.

In summary, investing in Airtec’s smart OBM weight sensors and workshop digital tyre inflators is a strategic move towards more efficient fleet management. These advanced tools offer significant cost savings, reduce maintenance frequency, enhance payload capacity, and ensure compliance with safety regulations. By integrating these technologies into your operations, you can achieve a more streamlined, cost-effective, and safer fleet, paving the way for long-term success and sustainability in your business.

For more information about Airtec, click here. 

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 Industry News

#PicOfTheDay – Wayne Bryen

Wayne Bryen took this cool shot while parked up in Crestmead.

We’ll choose a pic to appear in our Facebook cover slot, and will publish some of the best pics in our upcoming print edition of Big Rigs where you now also have a chance to win a $500 Shell Coles Express Gift Card.

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Innovative truck cabin air filter range wins prestigious award

Ryco’s innovation has been recognised once again in the Australian Financial Review’s (AFR) BOSS Magazine ‘Most Innovative Companies’ awards for the manufacturing and consumer goods sector.

After five years of placing in the top 10, Ryco has this year finished on top for its N99 MicroShield Cabin Air Filters range for commercial vehicles.

The range of cabin filters was designed with drivers in mind with it being the only filter that does not directly affect the engine of a vehicle, serving as an important addition in trucks that are at times fitted with a basic leaf tray.

Speaking after the award win, Ryco general manager of engineering, innovation and quality, Alastair Hampton, said the company was determined to develop something that served their customers in a way that hadn’t been considered previously.

“For a lot of truck drivers, their cabin serves as their office, their bedroom, and their main living space while on the road,” Hampton said.

“With that in mind, it’s critical that they have the cleanest environment possible while on the road, and the best way to achieve that is with efficient filtration in the HVAC system.”

Developed to remove down to 0.3 micron at 99.7 per cent efficiency, its construction is comprised of three layers: the first is a pre-filter with anti-viral agent eliminating airborne H1N1/H3N2 virus from the air flow; the second is an activated carbon layer that acts as an odour barrier; and the third is an electrostatically charged layer for optimum particle filtration.

The 360-degree air-tight seal also prevents air bypassing the filter, a common issue found in some OE cabin filters.

“People are most often certain that the only percentage of polluted air they’re comfortable inhaling is zero per cent,” Hampton said.

“We’re proud to have designed something that gets as close to that as possible, unseen elsewhere in the market.”

Ryco’s N99 MicroShield Cabin Filter range is now available for over 500,000 trucks on Australian and New Zealand roads.

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New tribute to truckies from Australia’s King of Country

A new compilation of truckies’ favourites by the late great King of Country in Australia, Slim Dusty, is out now.

Slim, who died in 2003, aged 76, recorded more than 80 trucking songs during his celebrated career.

Gone Truckin‘ gathers 24 of the classics handpicked by his son and daughter, David and Anne Kirkpatrick, in association with EMI, Slim’s recording home since 1946.

The songs include I’m Married To My Bulldog Mack, Bent-Axle Bob, Lights On The Hill, No Good Truckin’ Man and Dieseline Dreams and pay tribute to truckies and their vital role in keeping Australia moving.

“The truckies are a real community, and they look after their own,” Anne told the website Countrytown in an interview to promote the album’s release.

“To be invited into that community is very special, and it meant a lot to Dad and to Mum that they were invited in.”

During his lifetime, Slim released more than a 100 albums, selling more than seven million records and earning over 70 gold and platinum album certifications.

To hear more great Slim tunes, lock the dial into our favourite radio station, Australian Truck Radio, which is celebrating the album’s release by playing Slim classics on the hour.

Gone Truckin’ contains 24 trucking classics.

To buy a copy of the Gone Truckin’ CD, click here, or download from your favourite streaming platform.

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 Industry News

Watch Your Speed

If you’re driving in Western Australia, or anywhere across the country, it’s never been a more important time to watch your speed.

The WA government’s RAC has officially launched its Safer Speeds Trial, which it is undertaking within the City of Busselton and the Shire of Augusta Margaret River.

There’s no doubt that speeding is still a major issue on our roads, whether that be truck drivers or motorists in general, and it still holds massive consequences.

According to the WA Road Safety Commission, speed is still one of the leading factors when it comes to road trauma on the state. Between 2019 and 2023, 136 people were killed or seriously injured on roads in Busselton and 59 in Augusta Margaret River, with speed being the leading factor in a majority of cases.

In New South Wales, Transport NSW estimates that speeding contributes to about 41 per cent of road fatalities and 24 per cent of serious injuries. Almost 135 lives are lost and 1141 people are seriously injured per year.

The Victorian Transport Accident Commission says around 236 people have been killed on the road each year for the past five years, with excessive or inappropriate speed a contributory factor in many crashes.

The impacts of speeding only become scarier the bigger the vehicle. I’m sure you all know how much longer it takes to come to a stop when you’ve got two trailers behind you.

So no matter where you are or what vehicle you’re in, keep on top of staying within the speed limit.

 

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Safe container loading seminars to take place across Australia

Best practice in packing cargo in shipping containers, restraining loads correctly, and safely transporting containers will be the focus at a series of eight seminars across Australia in October and November.

The Safe Container Loading & Transport Practices Seminars are being hosted by Container Transport Alliance Australia (CTAA), in collaboration with Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA), the Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA) and leading safety management company, CoRsafe.

The seminar series is also being staged in collaboration with a Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) on behalf of the Commonwealth Government.

Heavy vehicle accident data compiled by National Transport Insurance (NTI) shows that container-laden heavy vehicles are 36 per cent more likely to be involved in a truck rollover incident compared to vehicles carrying general freight.

A common factor in these incidents is vehicle instability caused by unbalanced or inadequately restrained loads inside shipping containers.

In most cases, heavy vehicle drivers have no prior knowledge of how the shipping container has been packed or how the cargo is secured, if at all.

Load-shift inside the container, an unbalanced load, or a high centre of gravity, can easily contribute to a heavy vehicle accident. These factors equally present risks to other transport modes, including rail, container terminal operations and onboard vessels.

Secured cargo with correct bracing and dunnage inside a shipping container. Image: CTAA

Verified container weights are also an issue in the container transport logistics chain.

Unfortunately, cargo owners and container packers still mis-declare container weights, either innocently or deliberately. Overloaded containers present an unacceptable risk, and significant penalties now apply if these mis-declared containers are identified.

CTAA director, Neil Chambers, explained, “The aims of the seminars are to promote best practice in container packing and cargo restraint from a commercial and a safety standpoint, and to raise awareness of available best practice resources.

“One practical set of guidance to be showcased in the seminars is a Safe Container Loading & Transport Guide recently published by CoRsafe in partnership with CTAA.

“The Guide provides a concise explanation of the legal and practical obligations of stakeholders in the container logistics chain, including overseas suppliers and container packers. It is free of legal jargon for use by frontline staff.

“We are encouraging Australian companies to distribute the Guide to their overseas partners to provide an understanding of the standards they must meet when loading containers bound for Australia. Equally, we’d like Australian exporters to use the Guide and pass it onto their container packers and supply chain partners to promote best practice.”

A downloadable copy of the full-length Guide can be requested at logss.com.au/container-guide.

Attendees at the CTAA Seminars will gain first access to both a condensed version of the Guide and a version that has been translated into simplified Chinese for distribution to overseas suppliers.

“Back on the Seminars, we’ve gathered an impressive line-up of speakers and panelists, including:

• Regulatory representatives from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and WorkSafe authorities

• Container terminal representatives on container verified gross mass (VGM) misdeclarations (import & export) and container check weighing processes

• Chain of responsibility (CoR) experts

• Marine insurance specialists

• Cargo restraint experts

• Biosecurity and container cleanliness experts

• Road transport experts

• Telematics providers re smart on-board mass (OBM) developments

• Container triangulation – fit for purpose reuse and exchange

The seminar dates and locations are:

• BRISBANE: Wednesday, October 16, 2024

• TOOWOOMBA: Thursday, October 17, 2024

• SYDNEY: Tuesday, October 22, 2024

• MELBOURNE: Tuesday, October 29, 2024

• SHEPPARTON: Thursday, October 31, 2024

• WAGGA WAGGA: Friday, November 1, 2024

• PORT ADELAIDE: Tuesday, November 19, 2024

• FREMANTLE: Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Seminar registrations are available online at ctaa.iwannaticket.com.au.

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Brand New Kenworth T909 Prime Mover

With the iconic Bathurst 1000 right around the corner, Team 18 has unveiled its brand new Kenworth T909 prime mover, which will be used on race days.

The 909, powered by a 15-litre Cumins X15 diesel engine with an Eaton manual transmission, will be used to pull the team’s transporter, carting Scott Pye and Mark Winterbottom’s Chevrolet ZL1s.

Qualifying and events begin at Mount Panorama on Thursday, with practice laps for the Supercars racers and surrounding events.

“Getting it right before Bathurst is timely,” says Team 18 owner Charlie Schwerkolt.

“There’s going to be a lot of eyes over this truck. We’ve got a great relationship with Kenworth, I’ve been buying their trucks for over 30 years.”

“It’s a real showpiece for sure.”

The Bathurst 1000 gets underway on Sunday, October 13 at 11:30am AEDT.

 

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Growing with the Local Demand

Regional towns in New South Wales are inevitably road transport hubs and Wagga Wagga is one of the larger ones. PowerTorque spoke to a busy workshop which is growing with the local demand for maintenance services in the region.

In a good sized inland city like Wagga Wagga, the trucking industry is an important element in the local economy, not only for those supplying goods or transporting goods in and out of the city, but also the large number of trucks, passing through en route, either on the north/south route, or on the east/west freight route.

Evidence of the large volume of trucks coming through the town is the lineup of truck workshops and dealerships lining the road as you enter the city from the direction of Sydney. Clearly, there’s plenty of work to keep a truck workshop busy, passing along these routes.

One of the growing facilities servicing the trucking industry is O’Reilly Trucks, based in a facility off the main highway in a small industrial area on the eastern side of town just off that road into the city from Sydney.

Image: Prime Creative Media

What began as a small three man operation, handling the truck and trailer maintenance requirements for one of the transport companies based in the area alongside a few smaller local businesses and farming families, has now grown into a much larger truck and trailer maintenance operation, operating out of a newly expanded facility on the site it started in 2010.

Brad had done his truck maintenance apprenticeship in Cooma, and after finishing his time there, packed up and moved to Wagga. He went and worked for one of the big truck dealerships in the city, before moving on to a job with Detroit Diesel.

Then in 2010, he started his own business, mainly handling the maintenance task of a large local fleet of 120 trucks.

From there the business has picked up a wide variety of customers. In 2018 O’Reilly Trucks became a Scania Dealership for Parts and Service. Two years later, O’Reilly Trucks took over the sales support, parts, and service functions for Western Star Trucks, MAN Truck and Bus, and Dennis Eagle.

As all of these business opportunities came along the need to recruit new staff became an imperative to cope with the growth in work coming through the workshop.

“When a local truck dealership closed, it left a lot of people unsure of their employment, and having a good relationship with these people, we were able to pick up seven or eight of their staff that filled positions in our parts, service and admin departments,” recalls Brad.

The workshop was turning into a substantial business, putting on other staff to handle the warehouse and other tasks.

“To tell you the truth, beforehand, it was quite nice,” says Tracey. “There are a lot of stresses that comes with a growing business. We had a good business before Penske and Scania came along, and it just keeps is still growing. A lot of the growth is down to word of mouth.”

“I’ve had good relationships and been in industry since I was 15,” says Brad.

“My dad had trucks, so I had a rough idea of how to treat operators. Our customer base ranges from owner operator right up to large local fleets and everything in between. They’ve all grown over the years and we’ve had to grow to keep up with them.”

 

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The Converter Dolly Conundrum

PowerTorque Technical Guru, Bob Woodward, looks back to some important changes and the effect of design changes around the converter dolly conundrum.

Rewind to 1994, my first experience with air suspension converter dollies! Tri axles? It wasn’t good with pitching and diving, but after many alterations it performed okay.

Then in 1996 a client wanted air suspension on everything that transported their product, hence a new design phase – rigid drawbar air suspension converter dollies. Although this design was an operational success, operators did not embrace the concept; old habits are difficult to change.

Fast forward to 2018, where members of the Industry Technical Council (ITC) were discussing issues with tandem air suspension converter dollies, poor tyre wear and somewhat unpredictable dynamic handling.

Sometimes one needs to help oneself, in this example there was a safety and maintenance issue. From those discussions a project was born to develop an industry prototype.

With the support of ITC supplier members, the project progressed and the industry prototype rigid drawbar converter dolly was displayed by MaxiTRANS at the 2019 Brisbane Truck Show. This dolly was available to ITC members and the supplier clients for trialing. Its first trip in May 2019 was to Darwin where the first user report was, “this is fantastic”.

The rigid drawbar was a collaborative response to a problem for the betterment of all. Operators and manufacturers have been able to access the project experience outcomes with minimal operational risk.

Following are operator comments:

Tony McGrath – McGrath Newcastle:

“The decision to go with a rigid drawbar with the PBS A-double was significantly influenced by the ITC converter dolly on display at the Brisbane Truck Show in 2019.  Discussions with the engineering team at MaxiTRANS convinced me this was the best option for the future A-double container skeletal operation.

“The tyre wear has been fantastic. I’m embarrassed to tell people that the first dolly is still on original tyres at more than 407,000 kilometres.

“When asked if there were any negatives, the only issues are the potential for increased wear in the coupling when operating on steep driveways and across kerbside gutters where one axle may clear the pavement at low speed – a similar situation occurs with all multi-axle groups.

“Our drivers appreciate the dynamic tracking performance, braking and handling is excellent.

“The A-double and rigid drawbar converter dolly has been a great addition to the McGrath Newcastle operations.”

Image: Bob Woodward

Kel Baxter – Kelvin Baxter Transport:

“I was ITC chairman when the group embarked on this project and also had the privilege of trialing the prototype dolly. In my operation it was a game changer, to the extent that I have not purchased a hinged drawbar tandem converter dolly since. However, all the new dollies are PBS only to meet the axle spacing requirements of Victoria.

“The rigid drawbar dolly tyre wear is even across both axles, as it should be. PBS mandates airbag suspension and we found the supposed load sharing with a hinged drawbar resulted in issues with pitching under braking, resulting in excessive and uneven tyre wear on the lead axle.

“Perceptions of weight transfer and wear to the pin coupling are unfounded. The elimination of drawbar bushes is a maintenance plus.

“The excellent handling characteristics of the rigid drawbar dolly make for a much safer multi combination configuration. Drivers are rapt, saying that these 30 metre A-doubles handle and manoeuvre at least as well as a B-double. The combination of a fixed drawbar dolly and EBS brakes makes for a safer High Productivity Freight Vehicle to handle the task.

“Often tri axle dollys are used for their better handling characteristics and in many instances not carrying tri axle weights. A fixed drawbar dolly is a great alternative.”

Laurie Brothers – Ron Finemore Transport:

“My first experience with rigid drawbar converter dollies was in car carrying road train operations (doubles and triples) in 1996. The immediate benefits were tyre wear and dynamic handling, especially when braking.

“These were also then introduced to other operations. In car carrying, where the coupling height needed to be much lower than standard, this proved to be a dynamic benefit as the resulting coupling height was close to the trailer suspension roll height, limiting input into the dolly due to trailer roll.

“Some 20 plus years later other operators recognised the benefits of the lower coupling height. The drivers appreciated the improved performance, especially on narrow road sections with sharp shoulders.

“Now RFT has rigid drawbar tandem converter dollies on fuel haul operations 30 metre PBS A-doubles.  Operating both standard height couplings and low height couplings, drivers report a preference for the lower height coupling.

“Suspension, axles, brakes and fifth wheel maintenance is similar to that of a B-double tandem lead trailer.”

 

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China is Embracing Low Emission Trucks

After visiting the China Commercial Vehicle Show in Wuhan, Gianenrico Griffini, President of the International Truck of the Year Jury and Editor of Allestimenti & Trasporti, explains how the China is embracing low emission trucks.

China is a hi-tech country in which, in all business sectors including road transport, long-term trends go hand in hand with rapid and sudden changes, dictated by the opportunities of the moment and the prospects opened up by future scenarios.

This is what we witnessed when visiting the Asian giant’s most important industrial vehicle show, the China Commercial Vehicle Show. There were liquified natural gas-powered trucks and electric vehicles with battery swap systems on display at the show.

Long-term trends, with a time horizon to 2030 and beyond, include the increasing focus of local Chinese transport companies on premium products, electrification, autonomous driving solutions and advanced connectivity-related services.

In the background to these changes is the ongoing consolidation in the road transport sector. Which should lead, according to a McKinsey study published last year, to a shift in demand for trucks from single-vehicle operators or less structured companies, towards medium-sized (with a fleet of more than 20 trucks) or large fleets.

Image: Gianenrico Griffini

The latter could take almost 50 per cent of truck purchasing volumes by 2030, compared to 30 per cent in 2020 and 10 per cent in 2010.

In this changing environment, some European truck manufacturers, for example, Mercedes-Benz and Scania, have decided to locate the production of their latest generation models in China.

This is in order to be able to take advantage, quickly and effectively, of the needs and opportunities offered by the most important truck market in the world in terms of sales volumes.

In fact, it was a market of around 1 million vehicles over 14 tonnes GVM in 2023. These figures are a far cry from the stratospheric peaks reached a few years ago (1.6 million heavy vehicles in 2020 and 1.4 million in 2021), but still record-breaking when compared to the EU registration of some 267,000 trucks and 17,569 in Australia in 2023.

Emerging trends, highlighted by numerous trucks on display at the Wuhan Show, include unconventional powertrains, which go hand in hand with the latest generation ‘China VI’ diesel engines, an emission regulation similar (but not equal) to Euro 6.

Alternative trucks with LNG (liquefied natural gas) engines and battery-electric vehicles (BEV), equipped with a battery swap system, played a starring role at the show.

Alongside them were a number of fuel cell heavy duty vehicles (FCEVs), for which China aims to develop an extensive infrastructure network for the distribution of hydrogen as the energy carrier of the future.

 

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  1. Australian Truck Radio Listen Live