Tieman Tankers Safe Haven with EBS and BPW
07/Feb/2004
Our industry's search to improve productivity and enhance operational safety is a constant.
That quest has of late seen a plethora of new technology introduced and a business mindset focused on safety training across all areas of the freight spectrum scene; none more so than in the areas of on-road duty-of-care.
Prime examples of how the industry is prepared to embrace operational safety and in doing so lift their profitability are unfolded in the following two fleet operations.
Advance Petroleum has placed in service the latest in on-board trailer safety braking systems with the purchase of a Tieman 34,000 litre, 5 compartment aluminium fuel tanker.
The unit helps service the BP Carrington New South Wales terminal with deliveries to outlying petrol stations, farms and selected commercial sites.
Daniel Moran, who is employed by Advance Petroleum as the BP Dispatch Coordinator, told us that this latest tanker, one of two built by Tieman for their fleet, is equipped from the front to the back with safety in mind.
"The truck and trailer is fully disc braked. The rear bogie is on a BPW air suspension with the latest 'T' Series brakes and Eco Plus axle hubs.
"Added to this is the Knorr-Bremse Trailer Electronic Braking System which automatically pulls back the vehicle's speed when the system sensors a possible instability problem", he said.
This was highlighted when we spoke to their company driver who commented on how incredibly safe the trailer handled.
"The first thing you notice is how much more control there is around corners, and there are plenty of tight ones around these parts.
"Brake response is also much better with the discs, especially when you have to rely on them. Having driven this rig compared to the others you really do notice the difference.
Tieman have also included Liquips Diptronic system which saves the driver from having to climb onto the tanker to manually check the levels.
"Safety and the environment are of the utmost importance when you're in the dangerous goods business. That's why we are keen to accept any new technology that is designed to get our drivers home each night, safe and sound.
"We're all about providing the best service with the best in safety practices", said Daniel.
Not for away, SRH Haulage, based at Rutherford is equally concerned about safety. Scott & Regina Harvey own a milk haulage company servicing the local Hexham factory, plus three Dairy Farmers plants located in Sydney.
The company's 40 drivers working double shifts collect over 150 million litres of milk each year from the surrounding 180 farms.
Their latest 28,500 litre stainless steel bulk tanker, again a Tieman, is equipped with the same BPW disc braking and suspension specs and the Knorr-Bremse EBS (Electronic Braking System)
An added feature is the new BPW Brake Monitoring System fitted to take the guesswork out of the trailer's pad lining wear.
"The thing I liked most about it is when I first handled the tanker it made me a better driver because of the amount of times the EBS came into play.
"It taught me very quickly that I must have been pushing the vehicle a little too hard around corners".
Scott explained that the EBS was a great asset to the business, given that most of the milk cartage took place through the Great Dividing Range were in his words; "If you're not going up, you're coming down".
As the Electronic Brake System monitors the trailer's braking to restrict roll-overs, it also records the number of brake applications and pressures so Scott, using this feature, can school his drivers on how to avoid costly hard brake applications.
On the subject of running costs, SRH has included a BPW front lift axle on the tanker's tri axle grouping to save on fuel during the empty return trips.
"We average 27,000kms per truck per month so when half of those km's are running with less road drag it represents a big saving", he said.
Overall, Scott is extremely happy with the Tieman/BPW package. It's a tanker as he says, that has the lot. From the patented Tieman vertical self drain hose reel, Diesel metering system, anti-roll feature, disc brake pad monitor, soft ride suspension, through to the low tare tanker barrel and chassis, it's a product that has kept him profitable and smiling.
"The finish is also spot-on and so is the service back up from both suppliers. With all these add-on safety devices and monitoring systems it really does make you feel a lot safer".
