A pragmatic and viable solution to overloading, embracing the needs of all players in the industry, is an achievable goal believes Paul Chappe, managing director of LOADTECH, suppliers of load cells to the transport industry.
FleetWatch asked him, as a supplier of solutions equipment to the industry, to share his thoughts on the issues surrounding overloading.
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LOAD
CELLS can
be used in the loading vehicle and in the truck tipper body. |
To better understand the problem surrounding truck overloads, one needs to explore some background issues. It is an indisputable fact that in order to realise a reasonable return on their investments, truckers need to consistently transport full loads. Contrary to what is often said or implied, most transport operators are genuinely concerned about the condition of their haulage units and the way they are driven. Minor overloading, though, seldom affects their vehicles' condition, nor does it result in downtime. It is simply a matter of keeping fully loaded, so as to deliver optimum returns.
One must also realise that many operations were started long before there was any major concern about overloading and to this day, still run old trucks and trailers that were designed for the overload. With the more recent regulations on axle mass limits, these old vehicles often fall foul of the law because insufficient axles exist on the rig to allow for correct (legal) load distribution.
A further factor to be considered is that the proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Act (via the Road Traffic Amendment Bill of 2003), will spread the liability for overloading to include those responsible for loading, as well as hauling. It is no longer simply the driver who could be prosecuted. Let's examine two potentially problematic scenarios.
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CHAPPÉ -
Loadtech’s
Paul Chappé alongside a timber trailer. |
Example 1: Hauliers that are paid by load
The truck and trailer drives into a mine or factory and is loaded by those working there. Often the driver is not allowed out of his truck while it is being loaded. He can't see how much weight is put in and simply pulls off when told to by the loaders.
Because the mine/factory pays by load, the more that is loaded, the lower the delivery cost per ton to them. Naturally, for some organisations this is a very attractive option but if the vehicle is caught overloaded on the road, which of the parties below is accountable?
a) The driver
b) The truck owner
c) The mine loader driver or the operator for chute loading
d) The mine's management
e) All of the above
Until the proposed amendments regarding consignor culpability for overloading are legislated, it's the driver and truck owner who get punished.
Example 2: Hauliers that are paid by weight
These are loaded in exactly the same way but with the cost per kilometre staying about the same, the more that is loaded, the greater is the profit for the haulier.
In this instance, the hauliers need to make sure every load is really full to gain optimum profitability, but the mine/factory loader driver who is still the only one who can see what weight is going in, is not really concerned one way or the other. It is, therefore, entirely possible that he will overload the vehicle.
Which is the appropriate weigh?
Most mines and factories already have weighbridges to check and verify all loads. Unfortunately, these weighbridges don't provide individual axle weights - the weights the police check. Besides, once the loading has been completed, it is normally too late for the driver to reverse the process. Should he complain, he will delay things and he might even find himself being blacklisted. So the loader operator gets away with any overloading and the drivers must continue with their journey.
A cooperative solution for a joint problem
The solution to overloading needs to take into account the nature and needs of all parties who, for the good of the economy, must preserve their business interests while upholding the law and ensuring that the road infrastructure is not unduly damaged.
When the new RTA laws regarding overloading are passed, drivers (and owners) will no longer be responsible for any overloading not attributable to their actions. Despite the shift in culpability should the law be passed, co-operation between customers, hauliers and law enforcement agencies is the best way forward.
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LOADTECH
supply in-cab load
monitors and report printers for real-time and historic
data |
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LOAD
CELLS
are placed under the
cradle on a timber trailer |
Long-term plan
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The mines/factories, once the proposed law comes into effect, should install weighbridges on site to ensure that their loading is correct.
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Having on-board weighing will show the axle weights while loading and there will be printed proof for truck management to be able to check at any time.
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The costing and payments for haulage must be re-arranged to cater for all of this.
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Forums involving all stakeholders needed to be created to facilitate amicable and mutually- beneficial negotiations.
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The state must ensure that damaged roads are adequately re-built to carry the legal axle loading without collapsing.
Short-term plan
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Tolerance limits decreasing to 2% will put pressure on transporters from a profit perspective. An initial lenient approach by law enforcers to allow transporters to adjust is advisable.
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Methods must be devised to re-arrange the existing transport loading so that weights can be measured in a manner that prevents any chance of overloading. Installing a weighbridge at every loading site may be impossible, but with portable weighbridges capable of measuring axles/groups readily available, much of the problem could be handled on-site.
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Onboard weighing can provide the drivers with a good guide to axle loads and supply management with useful analytical data.
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Costing and payments for hauling need to be restructured to cater for any modifications needed to the present units to comply with all the loading regulations.
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Forums must be urgently instituted to negotiate a way forward
In South Africa, we have found innovative, amicable and accommodating ways to resolve many seemingly insurmountable problems. With the commitment and participation of all role players in the trucking industry, the problem of overloading need not be an exception.
