A-Plant choose Axtec for on-board axle weighing

To safeguard its drivers and the company from inadvertent axle overloads, the UK’s leading plant hire company, A-Plant, has taken the policy decision to fit axle weighing systems to its commercial vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gvw.

A-Plant has chosen Cheshire company Axtec (Axle Weight Technology Limited) to be its partner in this programme, which is being rolled out progressively in line with the company’s vehicle replacement schedule.

Axtec - the UK’s leading specialist in axle weighing systems – is fitting their ‘Axtec On-Board’ axle load indicator to all new vehicles purchased by A-Plant, ranging from 3.5 tonne dropside trucks to 26 tonne three-axle plant transporters. During 2008 over 100 A-Plant vehicles will be fitted with axle weighing equipment.

Although installation can be done on site, the work on A-plant’s vehicles is being carried out at Axtec’s Runcorn headquarters, where it has extensive workshop facilities along with test weights, a forklift and a dynamic weighbridge, to enable precise calibration of the equipment once fitting is completed. Average fitting times are two hours for a light commercial and up to four hours for a heavy truck.

Shaun Winstanley, Director of Transport Services at A-Plant, says that the decision to fit axle weighing equipment supports the strong commitment that the company has to fully meeting its legal obligations and to protecting the interests of its drivers.

“Plant and equipment is getting heavier all the time as customers require larger and more powerful machinery,” he says. “This particularly affects our bigger vehicles used to carry plant, especially those that are also fitted with a crane, as this can add to the risk of an inadvertent front axle overload.

“But the problem isn’t limited to our large trucks. On smaller vehicles, such as the Ford Transits used by our traffic management division, A-Plant Lux, a simple thing like the sandbags that are used to weigh down temporary signs becoming wet, can take a vehicle to the legal limit on weight.

“The solution had to be a technological one,” he adds. “With the Axtec on-board axle load indicator we have been able to give our drivers a first-class tool to enable them to avoid a problem. It ensures that they can identify an overload as soon as they have completed loading their vehicle and take action about it before going onto the public roads.

“Usually all that’s required is a simple redistribution of the load, perhaps moving an item of plant just a few inches. The result is that both the company and the driver are in compliance with the law and the public is better protected as a result.”

A-Plant is now taking the system a stage further by linking the Axtec On-Board to the tracking device on the vehicle. Should an axle overload occur, the Axtec On-Board will send a signal via the tracking device to the control room at the vehicle’s depot enabling the driver to be alerted and appropriate action taken.

The company chose the Axtec On-Board following a thorough trawl of the market for vehicle weighing systems. “It meets our requirements precisely,” says Shaun Winstanley. “It represents good value for money, is simple and easy to fit, very accurate, and robust enough to withstand the rigours of the harsh environment of construction sites on which our vehicles often have to operate. It also delivers the information in a very simple format, both visually and audibly, allowing for no possibility of misunderstanding by the driver.”

Axtec On-Board covers two- and three-axle rigid vehicles from 3.5 to 26 tonnes with steel or air suspension or a combination of the two, including 6 x 2s with lift axles.

It is switched on and off with the ignition, so the driver is provided with all the information, all the time. He cannot forget to switch it on, or have it in the wrong mode. It cannot be tampered with and there are no external switches, knobs or other controls. The information is displayed clearly on the in-cab screen and includes:

A simple outline diagram of a vehicle with individual axle weights and gross vehicle weight shown beneath each axle in kilograms.

A simulated load on the back of the truck which graphically increases or decreases in line with changes in the actual load on the vehicle.

Colour coding of the indicated axle and gross vehicle weights using a ‘traffic light’ system, changing from green through amber to red as the vehicle approaches and reaches overload.

Keith Gresham, managing director of Axtec, says that he’s delighted that such a well-known company as A-Plant has chosen to fit axle weighing equipment as a matter of policy. “Our Axtec On-board axle load indicator provides a simple solution to a problem that can have severe consequences for a company and its drivers. Axle overloads are often entirely unintentional and can usually be easily avoided. A-Plant are setting a standard in doing this and it’s one that I hope many other companies will follow.”