THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE

In this edition, readers will find that we have placed HUGE accent on the trailer and body side of the industry highlighting the various achievements of manufacturers, a range of their products and innovations as well as some of the vital components of trailers and bodies. We’ve also delved into some of the issues arising in the industry, such as the fitment of inferior brake drums onto trailers so as to contain costs. Placing such prominent accent on one sector of the industry may seem to some to be over the top given that there are many other facets to the trucking industry. However, I do not feel so. Why? Because, as FleetWatch technical correspondent Dave Scott once wrote, trailers are the most neglected ‘fleet’ in the country. He based his comment on a number of fleet audits he had done around the country as well as on his general observations of the workings of the industry. He rightfully pointed out in that article that while the truck tractor gets sent in for a service, the trailer waits outside with no attention being paid to it until it gets hooked up again. In this way, some trailers and bodies go for years without a service and FleetWatch can confirm that the consequences of such neglect are dire. 

As most readers will know, FleetWatch has, since November 2005, conducted an exercise called Brake & Tyre Watch where – with our valued partners in this project – we train traffic officials on the first day and then take trucks off the road for actual testing on the second day. In the five exercises conducted, we have been horrified at the sorry state of trailers operating on our roads. Just when we think we’ve seen it all, another trailer comes in that makes the previous ‘mutt’ look like Paris Hilton’s ‘pronked-up’ poodle. One can perhaps excuse the dents and bruises seen on the trailers as being just the wrinkles of old age, but one can’t excuse the total neglect of maintenance on critical safety items like brakes! And the state of tyres on trailers is equally shocking. All too often we have found that tyres on the truck tractors are fine but then you go back to the trailer part of the combination and you get bald, chipped, tired tyres ready for the scrap heap. That adds even more muscle to Scott’s observation of trailers as being the most neglected ‘fleet’ in the country. It just makes no sense – not from a cost nor safety point of view. 

For goodness sake, over 17 000 people are dying on our roads every year and it may not have struck some but when a combination rig is involved in an accident, the trailer is very much a part of that accident – it could even have caused the accident. So why is it that the trailer is treated as a ‘Cinderella’ entity. Of course, it needn’t be like this. With a little bit of attention and care, the carts can be as good as the horses. It is thus that this edition is dominated by stories around the trailer sector of our industry. By highlighting centres of excellence, FleetWatch hopes this will reawaken the interest of those operators who do not pay attention to their trailers. There is absolutely no excuse for the rubbish we are seeing on our roads. We have world-class suppliers who can stand alongside the best when it comes to quality and innovation. There are also, unfortunately, some who are cutting corners in terms of quality so as to save costs but they can be weeded out if operators were to pay as much attention to the trailer as they did to the truck tractor. It is my sincere hope that this edition of FleetWatch will serve to change the mindset of all those operators out there who have failed to recognise the lowly trailer and body as a prince rather than a pauper. For safety’s sake, change your thinking. 

Patrick O'Leary
Managing Editor