Freight safety product provides hijack alert mechanism

IN A bid to stay ahead of the rapidly evolving hijacking syndicates, Barloworld Logistics’ Dedicated Transport Services (DTS) division is investigating two new freight safety products: tanker load pressure sensors and an infrared fatigue monitor. A load pressure monitor is one way of alerting the company’s tracking systems to any potential losses or unexplained changes in loads. The monitor alerts the control room when the tanker is under pressure and indicates its exact location. In this way they can determine when a vehicle is offloading and also ensure that a tanker never operates on the open road when the tanker is pressurised. Driver fatigue is one of the chief causes of accidents on long distance hauls. The fatigue monitor currently being tested measures perclos – that is the rate at which the eye blinks and the duration of each blink. According to DTS GM Heath Dormer: “In times of great fatigue a driver’s eyes are intermittently closed for 37% of every minute. The monitor uses non-distracting infrared beams to measure the perclos and will send an alarm to the control centre. The control centre can then direct the driver to the closest secure rest stop, so minimising fatigue-related road accidents.”