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Past Issues

September 2005

WHAT IS CHOLERA?...
When a germ, found in contaminated 'untreated water' enters a person's body it results in a sickness known as Cholera.

Aluminium in Design ...
The Aluminium in Design competition currently running was made possible by a number of partners with which FleetWatch linked hands. Over our next few issues, we will be introducing these partners to you starting in this edition with Aluminium City.

FleetWatch Academy rolls on...
The FleetWatch Training & Development Academy's first set of workshops were a resounding success getting the thumbs up from all delegates. Here we provide details of our next set of courses scheduled for November. It's all hands-on and implementable stuff this.

At your Service 24/7...
An experiment to go the extra mile in providing a 24/7 service facility combined with a 24/7 emergency back-up facility for its customers has paid off handsomely for Tyco Truck Centres writes Patrick O'Leary.

Special Interest Report

Loading Innovations...
Choosing the best trailer for the job takes a whole lot of pre-planning and strategic thinking. After all, it is the trailer that will determine ultimately whether each trip is profitable or not. For this special interest report, FleetWatch invited trailer manufacturers to showcase their ability to innovate in meeting customer demands.

New low super reefer tare...
The refrigerated transport industry is as driven by payload optimisation as any other trucking sector and as a result, refrigerated body builders are constantly striving to design and produce insulated trailers that are as light as possible without compromising on body strength.

Scratch bottle free loads...
A WESTERN CAPE winery contracted Nampak to supply them with bottles for their products.

Milking economies of scale...
THE DAIRY farms of the KZN-Natal Midlands aren’t the most truckfriendly areas in the country (we’re talking topography now, not people).

On the shop floor...
WHILE TRAILER innovation is the focus of this report, one must never forget the role manufacturing equipment plays in enabling that innovation.

Telescopic Loader...
THE FLAGSHIP of TOHF Trailers’ range of products is the TOHF-TRACT, a retractable sliding skeletal trailer that supports a centre-mount freight container to comply with road regulations.

Twin bin tipper...
PAYLOADER/KEARNEY’S Truck and Trailer cc has developed a Payloader Twin Bin, side tipping tri-axle semitrailer for the ore and coal transport market.

Wayward Payloads...
Trucks lose their loads on a daily basis causing all sorts of traffic chaos, punitive costs and even loss of life. It's seems that one of the prime reasons for this is that operators are skimping on gear to save costs writes Paul Collings.

Protecting loads wirelessly...
Truck hijacking has seen a shift in focus on the part of the criminal syndicates. Now it's the trailer they're after or more specifically, the merchandise. Paul Collings 'test-drives' one possible solution to this problem.

Beware of sales euphoria masking the rot...
Euphoria is running high in the new truck sales arena but suppliers caught up in the rush to market would be wise to guard against overlooking vital, long-term issues that will have an impact on safety and operating costs writes our technical correspondent Dave Scott.

Why investigate accidents?...
Stan Bezuidenhout, a man who has been on the scene of more than 5 500 accidents in the past five years, tells our readers why commercial vehicle accidents should be investigated properly.

Issues to ponder...
Underpinning all the presentations at a workshop hosted by Nissan Diesel SA and Magnis Trucks was that despite the fact that the truck transport industry is booming, it still suffers many shortcomings when it comes to after-sales service and support.

Cutting Drag...
The dramatic increases in diesel prices over the last year have forced operators into looking at ways of reducing fuel consumption. Reducing idling time and smart route planning are two of the strategies used to achieve this. Another is overcoming the often-overlooked problem of drag.