Testing times for fleet operators
Issue: Winter 2008
Profits have never been vast in the haulage industry; the margins get narrower by the year, especially in today’s economic climate.
By Nick Matthews
For any person involved in the management of a fleet operation a principal matter has to be to start with the right equipment, or within an existing operation to understand what vehicles and trailers may need to be replaced; when that should happen and why.
Fleet management personnel too often set aside too little time for this consideration, resulting in a failure to fully understand what specific vehicle/s and trailers are needed to perform this task best based on whole life costs. Capital equipment, such as a vehicle or trailer, is a significant undertaking and very costly if you get it wrong!
So ‘testing times’ if I am going to finance, by whatever method, a truck/trailer in order to move my goods or another’s. In essence, I want the best return out of the vehicle; so how do I work out what I need from different manufacturer’s advice and how good is that advice?
All advice is relevant, therefore not only the information but the source requires careful consideration. Advice from the manufacturer seeking to have you invest in their product is very relevant; after all who should know the product better? You could seek advice from the industry associations, such as the Road Haulage Association and Freight Transport Association. In my opinion, such advice is helpful but often not specific enough to be relevant to your own operation.
The industry’s engineering associations, such as the Society of Operations Engineers, Institute of Road Transport Engineers, Chartered Institute of Logistics and others, provide the foremost engineering knowledge. Trade journals and word of mouth from other operators will all add advice to the mix. But then you are left with the simple question: Who performs independent testing and who would provide specific independent testing for your operation?
Incidentally, I came across the BTAC British Transport Advisory Consortium organisation several years ago as an ideal source of independent data compiled by professional transport operators and engineers, with the aim of sharing best practice and seeking facts to improve road transport.
BTAC technical trials are referred to by other organisations as authoritative information and the recent Long and Heavy Vehicle investigations are just one example whereby Government-led consultants and trade bodies have used BTAC exacting trials for reference.
For those of you in fleet management, faced with the decision process of probably the company’s single most expensive assets, then it is worth considering independent testing both for what you are operating and for the facts to help you with future investment.
Technical Trials 2008 Report
The Technical Trials 2008 Report covers the BTAC (British Transport Advisory Consortium) Technical Trials held at the Motor Industry Research Association’s (MIRA) test facilities on 28th and 29th June 2008.
With fuel prices at a sky-high record, it was no surprise that almost all the tests at the trials weekend were designed to assess fuel-saving potential. Accordingly, the event was labelled Fuel Efficiency And Technical Evaluation. BTAC’s sheer determination to put on the trials when the event was in danger of disappearing altogether was rewarded by a number of entrants with a variety of test needs.
The organisation’s usual insistence on running strict test types was adapted to current market needs to allow entrants to run tests that they required for their organisation’s individual needs. Nonetheless, each test was carefully monitored throughout the process to give the usual exacting standards of results. It is envisaged the BTAC will offer companies the opportunity in 2009 to perform tests that allow individuality and industry comparative results, sharing the information as always for improvement in the industry.
Full reports of the excerpts given below are available to download for free from: www.btac.org.uk
Somi Trailers of Scunthorpe attended the BTAC event in 2004 and returned in 2008 for further trials in order to test its theory that its high-cube (but low-height) trailer provided not only extra internal volume but had better-than-average aerodynamic performance too. The benchmark this year was another refrigerated trailer, borrowed from Ocado and built, like the Somi trailer, by Paneltex. Both trailers are 4m-high and both have the same edge-capping radii, so neither had an unfair advantage this time. The Ocado trailer also sported side-skirts that taper in neatly at the rear.
Carl Henderson, who runs Richmond-based Silvertip Design, proved that it is possible to achieve a manoeuvrable and stable 18.75m long articulated outfit that offers 18% more deck length than the current configuration. Mr Henderson’s SCM had won the concept prize in Trailer Innovation awards at the 2006 Hannover commercial vehicle show. At this year’s BTAC event Carl set out to explore the potential for improving an articulated vehicle’s roll stability. His focus was on the fifth wheel coupling and its contribution in the outfit’s overall rollover threshold. The proposal is an adaptation of the conventional kingpin and fifth wheel coupling.
Logistics operator Gist came to MIRA to see if a prototype trailer sporting an array of aerodynamic refinements is likely to generate sufficient fuel savings to recoup its extra cost. The temperature-controlled tri-axle trailer was built by Scottish manufacturer Gray & Adams, with AB Airflow of Sandy, Bedfordshire providing the aerodynamic expertise. Drag reducing measures comprise large radius corner capping, side skirts with flexible extensions to take them as close to the ground as possible and a downward sloping rear roof section incorporating vortex generators and a wing section.
Supermarket group Somerfield was there to explore the potential for saving fuel by pegging back the top speed of its trucks. The trial was run for Somerfield’s distribution director Andy Monk, who asked David Batty, the company’s former engineering controller, who now operates his own consultancy company, Batneec Development Services, to run a trial to establish whether or not its current tyre pressure policy is correct and test the impact of below-par pressure maintenance. Outright rejection of trials of longer heavier vehicles (LHV) by the then Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly came barely three weeks before the BTAC event but stalwart proponent of such trucks,
Dick Denby of Denby Transport, is not so easily defeated. He and his 60-tonne gtw, 25.25mlong B-double rig (tractor unit, steered interlink trailer and conventional semi-trailer) were back at MIRA yet again to see if a change of tractor unit could enhance its productivity.
The Technical Trials 2008 Report illustrates that more than ever in today’s difficult economic climate it is relevant to undertake testing to give you hard facts to help you make informed decisions for the future.
● Nick Matthews is Chairman of BTAC.
For further information write to David Payne, BTAC Acting Secretary, Pegasus Logistics Engineering Ltd, 32, Downs Road, Maldon, Essex CM9 5HG Tel: 01621 855319 Mobile: 07798 737850, E-mail: secretary@btac.org.uk or visit: www.btac.org.uk
Published: 22/12/2008
