SmartPlanning

The editorial leader - 'An Engineer's View' - in March 2007 edition of 'The South African Mechanical Engineer' spelt out 'The reality of R400 billion in 4 years'. In his monthly column, Chris Reay holds the view that it's easy for politicians to proclaim a R400 billion capital expenditure in terms of a 'better life for all' but where are the engineers and experienced project managers who will implement a R400 billion promise? In the concluding paragraph Reay comments that "We can live in hope but regrettably we will probably not be the recipients of the infrastructural delivery as promised without some smart planning. We have not even spent our local authority capex over the last few years on relatively simple engineering projects."

And that's the key to municipal fleet replacement - smart planning - it's not as simple as it looks to put specialised truck applications into service and service delivery it what it's all about! Applying the right truck for the task ensures service delivery, an issue that every municipality faces from rate payers, including those that do not pay rates and taxes but still riot over perceived lack of service delivery.

Why do fleet capex budgets fail on implementation?
Here are a few reasons why 'We have not even spent our local authority capex over the last few years on relatively simple engineering projects'. 

• Lack of insight into vehicle application - this leads to poorly motivated and described budget requests that fall short of the capex actually essential to acquire correctly spec'd equipment for a truck to perform the work required.

• Inadequate planning for the time needed to obtain a truck chassis and build specialised material handling equipment onto the chassis. The past 5 years of truck retail boom conditions has resulted in very long delivery lead times interfering with budgets.

• Excessive time to draft a truck specification that will work in practice. It may be a nice idea, but starting from scratch to write a complex vehicle application spec is a time-consuming, daunting task for someone lacking experience and skill.

• Too many 'experts' with their own inputs that cloud the issue of what the vehicle can do and how it will perform. Budget committees are there to prevent malpractice and fraud and be the 'wise owls' of how money is spent. But where are the municipal transport and project engineers who can present a convincing case for fleet replacement?

• Not keeping abreast with changes in Road Traffic Act Regulations that impact on vehicle selection and design. Budgets are often just repeats of trucks and equipment supplied in the past that no longer match current legislative requirements. When it's discovered that a new design is needed the replacements get delayed into the following financial year - the new Regulations about people on the back of goods vehicles will start a trend of crew cabs, especially in municipal applications. 13th Amendment to the National Road Traffic Act published in Government Gazette 29865 - 4 May 2007 - carries changes to Regulation 247. No restriction on the number of persons that may be carried on the back of a goods vehicle but now it must be empty of tools or goods - with the exception of personal effects - unless they are separated by a partition.

• The 'politics' of price. The invasion of cheaper truck chassis are promoted on the basis that 'you can have a bigger fleet because you can afford more.' This is not the basis for vehicle application that drills down to whether a driver can actually fit behind the steering wheel of a cheaper alternative. It's about a truck doing a serious job and not about the starting price - application determines price.

• Negative attitude to outside knowledge and innovation. Transport people do not like to be shown up as lacking in knowledge stemming from an attitudinal problem of 'if it's not invented here then we are not interested'. But the realities of municipalities throughout South Africa - especially the smaller ones - are an appalling lack of road transport expertise.

Ethekwini Metro sets a standard & makes an offer
Isuzu Truck South Africa through their dealer Key Pinetown has become a preferred truck supplier to the Ethekwini Municipality Treasury Cluster. Ken Honeysett of Isuzu Truck South Africa's Kwa-Zulu Natal Regional Office organised the 'Ethekwini Metro Truck Body Presentation' in Durban on 15 November 2007 - a unique display of municipal trucks, organised on behalf of Ethekwini Municipality. The main theme was truck application via cargo body technology specifically aimed at providing municipal transport solutions

Ethekwini's amazing offer to SA municipalities from Malcolm Joshua - Head: City Fleet of the Ethekwini Municipality Treasury Cluster - makes their experience, body specifications and drawings available free of charge to any municipality who wishes to officially contact them, benefitting from their cumulative know-how and design knowledge. The offer from Durban Metro to KZN municipalities extends even further: small municipalities that do not have the purchasing pull of Ethekwini Metro, can, subject to official approval, purchase truck bodies under Ethekwini Metro contracts, not only getting the best specification but lowest prices as well - huge savings.

If it works for Ethekwini, it will work anywhere else! Durban Metro environment really tests vehicle application - heat, steep inclines, streets that are narrow in many areas, extreme corrosion and a pool of unskilled labour that must work in harmony with the equipment fitted to a municipal truck. 

Ethekwini Metro has already developed specialised transport solutions with detailed drawings, specifications and free expert advice on vehicle application. Malcolm Joshua and Brian Stokes, Head of Ethekwini Fleet Technical Services certainly can assist with municipal fleet budget implementation. Congratulations to Isuzu Truck South Africa and Key Pinetown for organising a really constructive event that focuses on municipal trucking requirements.

Now that the truck application is sorted let's get the budget in line and service delivery going. Service delivery depends on truck wheels rolling!

	AERIAL PLATFORM An aerial platform mounted on an Isuzu NPR chassis with crew cab and drop side-door body.

AERIAL LADDER & PLATFORM This extendable aerial platform on a Mercedes-Benz Actros was a project that took 2 years to complete and updated Durban's capability to deal with a high-rise building fire.	HOOK-LIFT DEMOUNT This Isuzu FTR 800 run a high utilisation factor with a number of demountable truck bodies - the hook-lift mechanism also allows it to act as a tipper as well. A crew cab is incorporated in the body design.

FIRE TENDER TANKER This fire tender tanker has been manufactured with locally supplied equipment. The reason - parts are readily available and when you need this unit you really need it!

TIPPER WITH CRANE The task of dealing swiftly with a water crisis can be handled as the loading equipment and tipper form one unit. It's much more than an Isuzu FVZ 1400 tip truck it becomes a working machine with the hoist and grab.

LINESMAN UNIT REAR This unit from Kholeka Truck Bodies on an Isuzu FRR chassis is specially adapted to working with electrical line crews and their specific needs

MALCOLM JOSHUA & BRIAN STOKES Steering a well-planned fresh approach to municipal needs of the future and urban growth from left to right are Malcolm Joshua - Head: City Fleet of the Ethekwini Municipality Treasury Cluster - and Brian Stokes - Head: Technical Services.

WATER TANKER FREIGHT CARRIER A clever combination of freight carrier body above a 3000 litre water tank with pump allows this truck crew to not only plant shrubs but water them at the same time to kick-start growth! A productive Kholeka Truck Bodies design

CREW CAB Ethekwini Metro has introduced sturdy, roll-bar-protected crew cabs wherever required on their new Isuzu truck fleet. The effect of a crew cab is considerable on cargo body space, front axle loading, increases in tare mass and payload. Copying the Ethekwini model will be effective in any municipal fleet - private operators can also take note of this crew-cab design solution.

DEMOUNT WITH CRANE Multi-task Isuzu FVZ 1400 can lay the body on the ground, winch up wheeled vehicles and equipment and pick up equipment with the truck-mounted crane.