Measure to manage

DEPTH OF THREAD A tyre's depth indicator is the basis of law enforcement for new legal requirements regarding the depth of thread on tyres - this applies to cars, bakkies or trucks. Lack of measuring tread depth can allow insurers to wash their hands of losses following an accident because tyres were illegal in terms of Regulations.

If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. This is a good credo for any business and an absolute essential for trucking. Why is it then that so many involved in transport - from the top down - seem to lack the basic tools to check what is happening in fleets? Using mainly tyres as an example, Dave Scott, our technical correspondent, concludes in this article that it is time to stop searching for weak excuses and take charge of the numbers that give benchmarks for managing the cost of ownership.

The list of shoddy measuring methods is endless. To check for tyre pressures, drivers whack tyres with spanners - if they have one. Supervisors don't have tyre-tread depth indicators to check whether tyres are within the legal limit under the new regulations. Maintenance people seldom check correct ratios for anti-freeze in cooling systems because they do not have a Glycometer; and pump attendants are not trained in accurately reading engine dipsticks. Very few operators check wheel alignment despite this having a costly impact on fuel and tyre bills.

And so it goes on… The answer usually given for such flaws is: "It's no use issuing measuring equipment to driving crews or on-the-ground attendants. It is simply stolen or sold off for profit!"

No tools - no maintenance
Going even further, a recent workshop audit in a particular company revealed that technicians did not have tools. When confronted with this, management was astounded. How was maintenance being carried out? It turned out that one technician had a complete set of tools which he lent out to his colleagues on a strict loan-return basis. However, when he fell ill and left his toolbox locked, no one could work as they could not access a complete tool set.

And I'm not just talking about smaller operators. Not at all. An early morning inspection of start-up procedures I conducted at a large fuel tanker depot last year revealed that no procedure was in force. Vehicle combinations had to start out in the dark of winter mornings and a lack of torches or depot lighting made it impossible to check vehicles for standard items - leaks, tyre pressures or fluid levels. A driver checked tyre pressures by bouncing his fist on tread surfaces. Press on regardless and get going seemed to be the motto!

It has reached the stage where it has become critical to install a passion for measuring the state of equipment and to educate all on the reasons why these numbers are so vital. Don't just tell someone to do it - tell him why it is so important and track his progress with his support. This can then be accompanied by incentives that recognise effort for managing vehicle efficiency or safety.

Simplicity is OK
Michael Beckett, MD of Alignment Services Inc in the USA, gave a stunning demonstration of simple ingenuity as guest speaker for Maxiprest during a tour of South Africa last year. Beckett's crowning point was that a ball of string is your best friend in making a quick check of wheel alignment.

Using string to check the relationship of rear axle to front axle, on both the left and right side of a freight carrier, he clearly demonstrated that you do not need sophisticated and complex equipment to prove that wheel alignment requires adjustment.

How many trailers do we see crabbing along the freeways? Trailer axle alignment is not being checked and this causes drag that is translated into heavier fuel consumption. All of this results from not checking trailer axle alignment with a ball of string. If the string is stolen, it doesn't matter!

Staying on this point, many transport owners blame steering axle tyre wear on the alignment of trailer axle units. Beckett points out that trailers are not the cause. "Provided a fifth wheel is greased, a truck tractor cannot sense the direction of the trailer. 70% of wheel alignment problems come from a drive axle that has more authority than a steering axle".

Safety critical measurements
The small footprint of a tyre on a road translates all forces of engine torque, braking forces and steering effort developed by a truck. There is just no substitute for accurate tyre pressure - measured when a tyre is cold!

Why then is there such an absence of high-quality, accurately calibrated tyre gauges in the road transport industry? Very few truck sales people even bother to carry their own pressure gauges. They rely on pre-delivery service procedures in workshops that very often do not have compressors powerful enough to create 800 kPa.

Also, the drive-away tyre pressures on new truck chassis/cabs are not set to maximum operational pressure as this could damage new tyres on empty chassis during delivery to a dealer and prior to the mounting of truck bodies. Drive-away pressure is usually only around 350 to 400 kPa and must be up-rated to a maximum of 600 to 800 kPa for operational purposes. How often are new trucks commissioned for maximum mass operations without this factor being checked?

One cannot rely on tyre pressure gauges at filling stations. These gauges are invariably not calibrated for correct pressure readings. Drivers also need a torch for tyre checks conducted during the hours of darkness otherwise the best gauge goes untouched or used at the wrong time. A torch is also essential for checking wheel hub oil leaks, the harbinger of bearing failure and disastrous loss of a complete wheel set.

Regulation 212 (j) of the Road Traffic Act, Gazette No. 6748 of 17 March 2000 requires a minimum tread level judged according to a tyre's tread depth indicator. According to the regulation.

No person shall operate on a public road a motor vehicle -

• which is fitted with a pneumatic tyre unless such tyre displays throughout, across its entire circumference, a pattern which is clearly visible and has a tread of at least one millimetre in depth; or
• which is fitted with a pneumatic tyre which contains a tyre tread depth indicator, if the tread is level with the tyre tread depth indicator.

How many people - private motorists or anyone involved with trucks - can clearly point out a tread depth indicator on truck, bakkie or passenger car tyres? How many drivers and fleet owners are actually aware that there is such an indicator and are using this as a measuring tool? For those who don't know, the indicator is a little raised ridge inbetween the treads that indicate the minimum tread depth.

What we all tend to forget is that this measurement becomes critical in assessing vehicle roadworthiness in the event of an accident - and it can become a loophole of escape for compensation. A humble tyre tread depth indicator can be the focus point of public liability and massive debate on vehicle skid marks. Tread depth indicators can be purchased for testing a tyre's roadworthy legality and must become part of regular checks.

CALIBRATED GAUGES All operational staff equipped with accurately calibrated tyre pressure gauges should be allowed to conduct sample checks on tyre pressure. Many fleets operate on inaccurate or reduced tyre pressures due to lack of such gauges. In most cases the only air pressure gauge is at the fuel pump and this has not seen calibration for years. A tyre pressure gauge is an ownerdriver's friend every operating day of the year because it is his personal cash flow he is measuring.

BATON TEST A practisced ear for the sound of correctly pressured cross-ply, not radial, tyres allows a driver to use a baton swung against the side-wall, producing a 'thunk' that quickly indicates pressure condition. This may work for long experience on the road, but is not accurate and only a quick indicator of a really flat tyre.

Tyre brands differ dimensionally
Despite quality controls and published standards in the USA, Beckett emphasises that tyres are not equally dimensioned between different brands even though they are sold in specific sizes. This problem is aggravated in the case of retreads where rolling radiuses can differ greatly. Consequences of mismatched tyres are heat build-up and excessive load factors placed on one tyre with accelerated tyre wear.

Tyres must be matched for brands, inflation and height off the ground. The simple tool for this job is a T-square placed inbetween a dual set to see if they match. How many dual set tyres operate with one tyre suspended in the air while the other does all the work?

Where have you seen trucks been refueled with tyres being checked for matching of duel wheels, tread depth and accurate inflation pressures? These are not rocket science maintenance measures but essential to fuel saving, cost control and fleet safety.

I have seen tyres being removed from rims with tyre levers and dishwashing soap for lubrication. This caveman method easily breaks the vital tyre beading seating a tyre on a rim. A broken beading is a scrapped tyre. Considering the horrendous cost of tyres, investing in a proper beading tool and tyre beading lubricant is financial chicken feed.

Gauge repeatability & reliability
There is also another important point to bear in mind when it comes to measuring tools. Whatever the tool being used, it eventually shows strain and lack of accuracy. One wry observer of transport maintenance commented that diesel technicians can create play in a 10-pound hammer. That's a long shot but the point is made - all tools have to be periodically tested for repeatability and reliability (R&R).

Do you use a torque wrench for wheel fastening systems? Don't feel alone if you don't. Very few do. However, when this tool is used, it will need regular calibration. It cannot go on forever at its original accuracy.

Another area where inaccurate readings are common are backyard fuel pumps which are left for years without calibration. A simple test for fuel pump accuracy is to fill a 10-litre container and check whether a similar reading is obtained on the pump gauge. Inaccurate fuel pumps create a 'fuels paradise' for fraud. Create a policy and procedure for tool calibration and track deviation from accuracy.

The way tools are stored also affects their R&R. Where is the pride in maintenance if special tools are stored in a heap on the floor or a clutter in a toolbox? How are we ever going to install attitude in addition to skill if such practice is the norm?

Imbalance of priority
Bean-counters of a transport business will ensure they purchase the latest software and powerful laptops to measure the performance of a company. However, when it comes to checksheets for vehicles, the drivers are given outdated and indecipherable old photostat copies that no one reads. There's an imbalance of priority. After all, where is the money produced - surely on the road and not in the office?

With a general deterioration of standards in the industry, the time has come for every transport operator to ask: What is being measured? Have key performance indicators (KPI's) been agreed on that save cash while increasing safety? Have the right tools been issued for those in charge of KPI's to measure and track their success? Do road transport operations have a passion for measuring fuel consumption, tyre usage and safety critical items?

Success in transport is not just about measuring cash flows. It is about measuring all incidents that cause cash to flow. The right tools are a good start in the hands of trained people. Will someone please lead the way.