Smart Truck pilot records efficiency and safety gains

South
Africa’s performance based
standards
(PBS) Smart Truck
pilot programme is making
significant strides.
The project, which was
initiated by the Council for
Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR) and is
being run under the auspices
of the national Department
of Transport, sees a
number of demonstration
vehicles providing practical
experience in the PBS
approach.
The PBS assessment
process effectively
regulates high-speed
vehicle stability, lowspeed
manoeuvrability as
well as ensuring that the
vehicles are kinder not only
to road infrastructure but
the environment. Vehicle
performance is measured to
12 safety standards.
It has been running since
2007 and is currently on the
70m-km mark.
“By the end of 2016 a
total of 282 000 trips will
have been saved as well as 8
million litres of diesel while
crash rates are down by 70%,”
said Dr Paul Nordengen,
research group leader:
network asset management
systems at the CSIR. “The
programme is showing
us real gains in transport
efficiency and safety.”
An often controversial
subject with many
complaining that the project
is only available to an elite
few, Nordengen said it was
important to remember
that PBS was still a pilot
programme. In fact, the
pilot project is open to any
organisation that would like
to participate
and there is no
limit regarding
the number of
vehicles for the
pilot. Currently
there are 165
vehicles on the
programme.
“But it is
still a research
programme.
Our target
is to run the
PBS pilot
vehicles on the
programme
to a minimum
of 100 million km, carrying
a range of commodities
across all nine provinces.
We started with only two
vehicles in the timber
industry and have over the
past eight years increased
this to other commodities
including sugar,
cattle, beer, fuel
and passengers.
Not all the
provinces are
part of the
research as yet,”
he said.
He added
that there had
been an upward
trend in the
uptake of PBS
vehicles but due
to it still being a
pilot there were
strict guidelines
in place for
companies becoming involved.
“RTMS certification is a
base requirement for anyone
wanting to take part in the
programme as it is essential
that the basics are in place
from operational risk and
monitoring perspectives,”
he explained. “Once the
PBS assessments have been
approved and the permits
issued, the Smart Trucks are
then included in the pilot and
we monitor very carefully the
performance of the operator.
The Smart Trucks are designed
and optimised for a specific
application, allowing for a
better match between truck,
freight and road. The outcomes
we are seeing are very positive
with major benefits in terms of
safety and transport efficiency.”
While the project has its
basis in PBS frameworks
developed in Australia,
Canada and New Zealand,
the programme has been
tailored for the South
African environment.
INSERT & CAPTION
By the end of 2016
a total of 282 000
trips and 8 million
litres of diesel will
have been saved
while crash rates are
down by 70%.
– Dr Paul Nordengen