FleetWatch Online - 34-The buddy system

Soldiers are taught that when the going gets rough, their first line of support is their fellow combatant. The relationships that are built between fighting men are bonds based on trust, loyalty and mutual perseverance to win through, in tact, at the end of the day. This phenomenon is known in military parlance as 'the buddy system' and cadet soldiers are initiated into the concept by piggybacking their comrades through character-building physical training exercises. In its May 2006 issue, FleetWatch ran a story about timber transport, characterising this industry as a 'battlefield' of sorts. The challenges timber transport operators face are extreme but it is reassuring to note that there are teams of timber transport men out there whose singular mission is to improve operational efficiency 'in-field'. One such team has just introduced South Africa's first 'piggyback' timber truck, writes Paul Collings.

The mission for payload optimisation is especially strident in timber truck transport, largely due to the fact that paper companies like Mondi set strict operating criteria for their transport contractors, not only prescribing the monthly tonnages of timber delivered to saw log and pulp mills, but also monitoring the mass of loads to ensure overloading does not occur. Added to this are the demands Mother Nature imposes on both trucks and drivers, who have to negotiate harsh off-road conditions in all kinds of weather, 24 hours a day.

Battle for a better way
Mondi is one of the world's largest producers of business paper and owns a significant proportion of South Africa's forestry reserves. Transport constitutes a significant cost component where up to 60% of the stump to mill-gate costs are transport related. As a result, Mondi has a dedicated Transport Technology (TT) department within its Forest Resource Optimisation function whose sole mission it is to find ways to continually reduce the delivered cost of timber. This is achieved through developing, constructing and operating safer and more productive transport systems.

Heading up the TT function is Des Armstrong whose maxim, "the definition of foolishness is doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result," drives his quest for improved operational efficiency. From this belief comes Armstrong's appetite for "trying something new". He says: "TT has had the task over the last fifteen years or so to improve the Payload Efficiency Factor (PEF) and reduce running costs on trucks carrying Mondi timber. It's been a process of constantly implementing new ideas and vehicle configurations. Where we once ran interlinks, we now run rigid-drawbar combinations.

"Our latest innovation is the rigid-piggyback drawbar set-up, a design we developed together with a number of partners including Evans from New Zealand. We built and field-tested a prototype of this concept during 2004/05 for a period of 17 months in some of the most demanding forestry operating conditions to be found anywhere in the World!"

Brothers in arms
According to Armstrong, "the Mondi plantations at Sjonajona in Mpumalanga supply 120 000 tons of pine pulpwood over a weighted average lead distance of 79km to Sappi's Ngodwana mill in the Elands valley. The topography can best be described as extremely demanding where rough gravel roads constitute some 90% of the haulage routes. Gradients both favourable and adverse of up to 20% predominate. Historically, in this operation, vehicle maintenance costs were up to four times higher than the norm."

As a result of these exorbitant figures, Mondi tasked Armstrong and his team to investigate and come up with a solution, says Armstrong. "The Evans piggyback four-axle drawbar timber trailer has a unique feature in its chassis construction in that it is made by the same process as a truck chassis. This design allows for a stronger and more streamlined profile, reduced tare mass, whilst at the same time giving greater strength and longer operating life under harsh operating conditions."

The process of developing and testing the prototype is all about teamwork, explains Armstrong: "TT has partnered with the best truck and trailer manufacturers and equipment suppliers in the country. The current prototype is a joint effort involving TT ,Volvo, TOHF Trailers, BPW Axles, Kilopascal Systems (Kpa), Loadtech, Mondo Exte and Alcoa."

The team: (left to right) Reg Waterford of Alcoa, Malcolm Gush of Volvo SA, Rupert Ingram of KPA Systems, Mark Checkley and Barton Bennett of TOHF Trailers, Graham Van Voorst of Volvo SA, Desmond Armstrong, Bethwell Dladla and Ingo Seidel of Mondi TT, Andre Cilliers of BPW Axles and Kermath Retief of Mondo Exte.

Barton Bennett of TOHF Trailers points out the benefits of the piggyback trailer’s self-adjusting load strapping system.

Kilopascal’s Rupert Ingram explains the wonders of CTI.

The in-cab Loadtech computerized load mass monitoring system enables effective self regulation with regards to best loading practice.

Positive attrition
Improving operational efficiency is a perennial endeavour and involves putting strategies in place that target 'haemorrhage' areas, like high fuel bills, excessive tyre wear and running gear damage. Armstrong says, "The piggyback trailer system in the first prototype with the use of Domex steel, aluminium components and a CTI system (Central Tyre Inflation) operated over the test period at significantly lower variable costs compared to conventional transport rigs. Tyre life has improved by a factor of five and because the trailer is carried back to the plantation, rolling resistance is reduced. This aspect, coupled to a reduced horsepower and gearing to improve gradeability, has resulted in a 19% reduction in fuel consumption. The fact that the unladen trailer no longer hops along gravel roads has also significantly reduced wear and tear on suspension rocker boxes, hubs, bearings and stub axles."

The piggyback concept trailer also reduces environmental impact, explains Armstrong: "Less axles on the road in conjunction with the CTI system means less plantation road damage and the fact that the rig's length is halved on the return leg contributes to greater road safety for other road users."

The first prototype development and testing phase was a resounding success for Armstrong and his team: Building on this success the new Volvo/Evans rig which incorporates many refinements and advanced technologies will be rigorously field-tested over the next twelve months and the team are confident that additional operational productivities will be realised. "With the correct training for operational managers and drivers, the piggyback system has the potential to reduce maintenance costs by up to 48%," says Armstrong. "Add to this the full reduced CPK benefits and we're looking at a truck-trailer combination that could revolutionise the forestry transport industry."

Watch this space
The logistical magnitude and technological scope of this project deserve more space in this magazine and as such, FleetWatch will take a closer look at the prototype 'in-field', focusing on the many technologies and methodologies that have come together to make this trailer a viable solution in the forestry industry.