With a fleet of over 750 trailers, Lindsay Transport thrives in its operations across Australia where it carts fresh produce and food staples direct to major markets.
Throughout these routes, the business also transports agricultural solutions including packaging and rural needs for its Lindsay Rural division.
Having such a large presence within these corridors, it’s vital that Lindsay Transport has all of its equipment down to a tee.
This is why the fleet is built with JOST turntables, says Lindsay Transport National Maintenance Manager, Billy Hordern.
“We have around 375 prime movers in our fleet, exclusively fitted with JOST turntables,” he says. “We’ve always chosen JOST, and we’ve never looked anywhere else. JOST has always been our prime mover spec turntable.”
Billy has been with Lindsay Transport for 13 years. He started as an apprentice mechanic in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, where the business itself also began just over 70 years ago in 1953.
Lindsay Transport, under the name Lindsay Brothers, initially carried local fruit and vegetables in Coffs Harbour for transportation to the Sydney markets, before expanding to timber transport and then to fuel.
From just one location with two second hand trucks, the fleet has grown significantly. As it approaches 750 trailers, Lindsay Transport now has a total of six workshops under its belt with services covering a much larger network than it did seven decades prior.
In the 13 years that Billy has been with Lindsay Transport, he says JOST has proven to be the go-to time and time again.
“We’ve been using JOST turntables for as long as I can remember and we rarely see issues with the product,” he says. “Their landing legs are a good, strong product as well. We have a lot of them in our fleet and we still buy them today to replace older units.”
Lindsay Transport is currently using JOST’s JSK 37CWS low maintenance fifth wheels as standard. This also sees the fleet include JOST’s Sensor Coupling System and tertiary latches on all new prime movers delivered.
“Lately, we have been working together with JOST on the safety aspect of coupling,” Billy says. “We trialled the sensor systems for a period of time, and we decided to fit the new JSK 37CWS fifth wheels on all new prime movers to help with a safer fleet moving forward.”
Image: Lindsay Transport.One difficulty associated with the problem of miscoupled trailers is the large variety of causes that can lead to the issue.
In the best-case scenario, a driver will notice a miscoupled trailer when they follow best-practice procedures and visually inspect the coupling to ensure the kingpin is secure in the lock jaw and the safety mechanism is in place, prior to performing a tug test after coupling.
If the check is not made on the kingpin in the jaw, then a miscoupled trailer can separate from the fifth wheel during the tug test or when manoeuvring in the yard.
Despite completing these inspections, the weight of a loaded trailer can sometimes put enough force onto the fifth wheel that it can pass a hasty tug test and give the driver a false impression that the trailer is securely connected.
This can lead to a potentially far more dangerous situation if the trailer separates from the prime mover when travelling at speed on the road.
This, Billy says, is where JOST’s Sensor Coupling System can be of great use to fleets.
“The most important thing in the coupling process is that the drivers are aware of the risks and are looking at that turntable, and we believe the tertiary latch and Sensor Coupling System is helping,” he says. “While the sensor system might not be a complete fix to the problem, it’s definitely going to help.”
JOST’s renowned Sensor Coupling System can tell whether a fifth wheel is coupled correctly or incorrectly and can prevent false couplings and dropped trailers of occurring.
This is possible thanks to its ability to notice irregularities in hook-ups with three sensors fitted to the fifth wheel. The first, located on the plate surface, detects whether or not the skid plate on the trailer is in contact with the fifth wheel plate surface.
Another in the centre of the fifth wheel detects the kingpin and ensures the lock jaw is secured around it, and the third on the handle ensures the kingpin is in the fully locked position and the safety latch is engaged.
If any or all of these sensors detect an irregularity, the system will alert the driver via a visual display on the dash inside the prime mover that something is wrong and that the coupling process needs to be revisited.
Putting this technology to use at Lindsay Transport has therefore allowed the fleet to increase safety across all of its units.
“We can see that it’s improving safety,” Billy says. “It’s definitely making it better by helping the drivers understand what’s going on.
“The drivers also like the fifth wheels themselves. They find that they are easy to use, being very straightforward and simple.”
On top of that, Billy says the product is very durable.
“They definitely last the life of our prime movers,” he says. “We typically dispose of our vehicles with the same turntables installed from delivery.”
In terms of its fifth wheel technology, Billy says JOST is at the top of the mountain. And, coupled with this, he says it also takes care of its customers – especially after the product is sold.
“They are definitely a leading brand in the market,” he says. “They’re one of the best. JOST has aways supported us, and because of that we have a great relationship with them.”
Coinciding with this are the training sessions which JOST completes at all of Lindsay Transport’s depots and workshops across Australia.
The onsite sessions cover the fundamentals of servicing and maintaining JOST fifth wheels as well as coupling and uncoupling training.
“JOST is very helpful with their training,” Billy says. “It’s a really good service, the drivers are loving it. It’s great for the industry that they’re coming out and helping everyone with that workshop training and driver training. It’s definitely making a big difference.”
Lindsay Transport National Maintenance Manager, Billy Hordern. Image: Lindsay Transport.The post Lindsay Transport enjoys benefits of JOST fifth wheel fleet appeared first on Trailer Magazine.