Copyright © 1999 FleetWatch magazine and FleetWatch On-Line.

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Cooling - the Flip Side of Friction

While a lot of attention is paid to aspects such as lubrication as an input into the wear and tear of an engine, an area that has been generally ignored is that of cooling systems and this despite the fact that a poorly maintained cooling system promotes slow destruction of an engine without the operator being aware of the problem. Dave Scott, technical correspondent for FleetWatch, finds it an irony that while the debate rages on whether to use synthetic or standard mineral oil lubricants, slow engine destruction is happening on the coolant side of the cylinder wall. He urges operators to arrest this destruction now!

Could Damping on Trucks Reduce Road Damage ?

If more attention was paid by the traffic authorities to damping on trucks, South African roads would last longer. This opinion was expressed by the marketing manager of Gabriel SA, Rudi Bombal, in a statement sent to FleetWatch. Given this, he advocates that traffic authorities implement a system of checking whether trucks are adequately damped. Do you agree with him? Let's first give him the podiu

The Driver is the Key

"What is Fleet Management"? This was the topic of discussion at the last monthly meeting of the Johannesburg Centre of the IRTE. Dave Robbie, director of MacDesign Technologies, was the man who had the task of presenting his views and experiences on the subject. What came out was most surprising. Guess what, as FleetWatch has always stated, the driver is the key

Seeing the World from the Back of a Truck

There is a breed of trucker that fleet managers would hardly acknowledge as real transport professionals at all. Yet they are experts at their jobs and face tougher conditions, further from base, than many other truckers. They are the overlanders – the drivers and their back-up crews who turn the world into a rolling spectacle for the increasing number of travellers who love to rough it. FleetWatch correspondent, Graeme Addison, himself a former tours operator with a fleet of vehicles, describes the accelerating craze to get out there, get muddy and do it on four muddy wheels.

New Challenges Face Remanufacturers

Extending vehicle life and squeezing the last usable ounce of potential out of your capital equipment is part of the daily grind in road transport. But it is becoming an increasingly costly affair and not everyone plays by the rules reports FleetWatch correspondent, Andrew Parker, as he looks at the state of play in the once vibrant engine remanufacturing arena.

Beware the Tyre Thieves

Crime in the trucking business is growing more imaginative by the day. Latest news is that tyre thieves working from a bakkie equipped with a compressor and other sophisticated equipment and tools which enables them to quickly remove tyres from truck tractors and trailers are operating along the N3. That they conduct their dastardly deeds while the driver is asleep in the cab shows just how bold these criminals are becoming writes FleetWatch correspondent Danie Botha.

Can SA Manufacturers be World Class ?

The South Africa trucking industry has seen an influx of imported product over the past few years. While many of these products have been welcomed by what was formerly an isolated country, the truth remains that we also need to provide for our own economy and employment needs via exports. The question which needs to be asked in this regard is: Can South African companies be world class manufacturers? Seeking an answer to this question, we spoke to TFM managing director Johan van der Merwe and compared his company's situation to others who have also succeeded. The bottom line is that they can succeed but they need to shed the skins of the past.