Sometimes a standard product won’t quite do what the customer needs.

We were approached a while ago by a major fleet operator running a mixture of standard artic trailers, double deck trailers and rigids. 

They had an issue with getting them loaded correctly first time to improve efficiency.

Pulling a vehicle off the loading bay, getting it weighed then returning it for the whole load to be redistributed if an overload was discovered was time consuming and expensive. With no guarantee it would be done right the second time either.

Vehicles might need to be loaded, weighed, reloaded and reweighed a number of times.

With several agency staff working in the loading bay during peak periods, training them to get it right first time wasn’t always easy.

A means of alerting the loaders to a potential overload at an early enough stage to make it quick and easy to correct would offer considerable benefits.

Standard Axle Weighbridge - not always right for the job.

But to serve all of the vehicles in their fleet no one system would suffice. A mixture of fixed axle weighbridges and onboard loadindicators would be needed to resolve the issue.

Even so, standard product wouldn’t offer the best solution. So our ability to design, write software and manufacture in-house meant we could offer a bespoke solution.

After taking the time to fully understand what the issue was, a number of potential solutions presented themselves, all of which involved enhancements to the basic products to do the job properly.

Rigids fitted with onboard indicators and axle weighbridges installed at the loading points both with alarm features to alert loaders to the state of the vehicle would go a long way to making sure loading was done right first time. Or at least flag up a problem early enough so that the load could be adjusted before the vehicle was fully laden.

Axtec’s ability to tailor a solution to a very a specific axle weighing problem will mean improved efficiency and big cost savings for one operator at least.

Six in two weeks.

That’s how many operators that have contacted us about issues with axle weighbridges. We should add that none of them were supplied by Axtec.

The issues are numerous. Load cell mountings failing – again.

The frame cracking – again.

The concrete approaches breaking up – again.

The system not calibrating – again.

Any company will experiment and look for a cheaper, faster way to make an axle weighing system. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. It’s important though to learn from the bad experiences to make the product better.

But the failures we have seen recently with these systems are all recurring problems. Some have been recurring for years. Little is being learnt to make sure the product is better, more reliable, more accurate or more hard wearing.

We have a full axle weighbridge installation in our yard purely for research and development. We can try out new load cell mountings, new software or new instrumentation in a proper working environment.

Testing an axle weighbridge - like us to test yours?

That facility wasn’t cheap but it means we can thoroughly test every design change or new idea before it goes to the customer. And if a problem does occur on site, we can replicate the conditions in our factory to track down and eliminate the cause.

Operators contact us because they are frustrated at the repeating problems and disillusioned with the attempts to rectify them.

And Axtec can test and maintain most systems usually to a higher standard than the original supplier.

And some axle weighbridges we look after are approaching 40 years old and still in excellent working order.

Sometimes we have to advise the customer they must bite the bullet and replace the system in its entirety. That is never a cheap option but at least it’s a long term solution.

So if you have a troublesome axle weighing system that we might be able to help with, feel free to get in touch and we’ll see what we can do for you.

What we tell you might not be what you want to hear but at least we will have the solution to the problem.

Overloading could be very serious

We had a very interesting conversation with a client recently, one who takes vehicle overloading very seriously.

Recognising the potentially catastrophic effects of overloading his vehicles, of which he has many hundreds around the UK, he took some portable weighpads from us to conduct trial weighings around the country.

But some of his firm’s drivers couldn’t see how important it is to run their vehicles legally laden and couldn’t see the worth in the exercise.

One example though seemed to bring the message home.

Axtec Portable Weighpads - Useful for Weighing Trials

Whilst weighing one vehicle, a typical 3.5t flatbed, the driver was asked to bring his vehicle up and place the front axle on the pads – and overshot them by about 1.5m.

The excess load on the vehicle caused the brakes to function less efficiently.

What if he had been trying to stop his van with a child in the road at a zebra crossing instead of just taking part in a weighing exercise in his yard?

The consequences could have been severe.

As our client said to his driver – do you want that on your conscience?

A lot of the time, the drivers are just trying to do their jobs and the van is just a mobile toolbox.

Sometimes it’s not only drivers that need convincing about overloading but senior management as well.

Which is why we often offer to help with surveys, loans of weighpads even free trials at the premises of customers with axle weighbridges.

Armed with information cleaned using their own vehicles in a working environment, it can often be much easier to convince the powers that be that there is a serious problem there to be solved.

So if you think you have concerns about vehicle loading and think doing some trials might be helpful, feel free to contact us and we’ll certainly be able to help.

Usually at no cost.

And as for that client, we’re now in the process of installing axle weighbridges at his major depots around the UK.

Any vehicle can be weighed.

The perception may be that only heavy goods vehicles can be stopped at a weight checks. They are after all by definition heavy.

But in fact any vehicle can be overloaded and can be pulled in and weighed.

Figures show that in 2012, 24 cars were weighed for instance. And 19 of them were found to be overloaded.

Car, HGV or anything in between, overloading affects all the major components making vehicles potentially unsafe and in danger of being prohibited. The worst cases could end in a prosecution.

It is not unknown for the insurance on an overloaded vehicle that has been involved in an accident to be invalidated.

Any vehicle can benefit from being weighed.

As in all areas, technology is improving and that includes the detection of overweight vehicles.  The installation of sensors in the road coupled to ANPR cameras ahead of enforcement sites means that an overloaded vehicle is more likely to be detected.

Recent statistics show that the number of these sites are now into double figures and that number could well grow meaning that more overloaded vehicles could be detected.

This is good news for law abiding operators in that they ought not to be diverted from a busy day into a weight check but also because more of those illegal transport companies will be caught.

But many operators find there are positives to weighing their vehicles too, particularly those who err on the side of caution and underload them.

Running vehicles at full legal weight is a good thing. It means you are maximising the capacity and running at peak efficiency.

One of our clients found he could get a staggering 30% more material on each vehicle after he installed his own axle weighbridge.

Imagine reducing your running time by a third.

There are plenty of systems available to prevent overloading. Whether they are weighed back at the depot or out on the road where the load may change throughout the day, there is a suitable system in our range to help.

And reducing the underloading can only add to your profits.

See you at the NEC in October?

We’ll be making our debut at FleetManagement Live at the NEC in October.

The decision to exhibit is a logical step and recognises the increasing number of van operators in the UK. And we have systems that are extensively used by van operators.

Axtec’s OnBoard Load Indicator for instance is ideal for multi-drop or diminishing load operations. Overloading has a detrimental effect on many major components of a van – tyres, brakes, steering, clutch, suspension – and can lead to prohibitions, prosecutions and, if you run larger vehicles, may even affect an ‘O’ licence.

Axtec OnBoard - Preventing Overloading on Vans.

With more new vans registered each year joining already heavily-congested roads, driver and road-user safety has never been more important for fleet operators.

But, with DVSA figures showing 93% of 10,000 vans stopped in 2015 were overloaded, it seems the safety implications of carrying additional weight are not always fully realised.

The Axtec OnBoard Load Indicator can help solve that problem though.

With a simple colour display that shows all the axle and gross weight information all the time and no manual controls so no driver training is involved. Axle and gross weights are all displayed the second the ignition is switched on.

The colour display allows information to be displayed graphically. Legal weights are shown in green, loads over 80% in amber and overloads in flashing red. There’s even an audible alarm selectable by management if required.

And outputs for connection to a tracking device are included as standard. So incidences of overloading can be recorded and reported back to base.

And the customer calibration facility means that keeping the system accurate can be done quickly and simply by our own people.

No expensive service visit is requird.

So if you're operating vans that you need to keep legal, come and see us at the NEC. We’ll be on stand P62 on 3^rd and 4^th of October.

Another clients experience with weighpads

Almost every conversation we have with a new client involves the subject of portable weighpads at some stage. 

It’s a common misconception that weighing even the largest vehicles just involves putting some plates on the ground and running axles over them.

It is though a much more involved procedure than that which, in many cases, is a more costly, time consuming and labour intensive option using weighpads than a permanent axle weighbridge.

Portable Weighpads - Great for some tasks.

Talking through a project that requires a dynamic axle weighbridge the other day, the client mentioned that they had portable weighpads which they used to monitor vehicle weights at depots around the country.

The pads were a useful tool for spot checks and driver training but were not without their problems.

The biggest bugbear was that it took two people plus the driver to weigh a single vehicle. And if the driver did it wrong, he had to go round the one-way system to do it again. Sometimes more than once.

A minor issue on the face of it but the procedure is tying up three people and the vehicle isn’t out on the road doing its job.

The pads themselves cost around £10,000.00 to purchase so that plus the labour plus the time element all adds up to a not insignificant ongoing cost to weigh vehicles.

So with a depot development in the offing it makes perfect sense to install a system that the drivers can use themselves in a fraction of the time.

With the added benefits of a longer lifespan, a permanent system can easily last 40 years against a typical lifespan of around five years for weighpads, plus far greater accuracy.

The permanent dynamic axle weighbridge is also future proofed in that it will not only weigh every vehicle type they currently run but any bigger vehicles they may obtain in later years.

As we always advise, weighpads have an important role to play but there’s often a more cost effective option available.

An axle 1,200kg overloaded!

That’s what one of our latest customers found when he weighed one of his double deck trailers.

The vehicle was sent back for the load to be redistributed and then reweighed. This time the weights were fine and the driver went on his way legally laden.

But as the Transport Manager said, how many times had that happened in the past and they had unknowingly sent vehicles out overloaded?

Now they have an Axtec Dynamic Axle Weighbridge it won’t happen again.

That’s only one of the benefits of having the system though. Maximising vehicle utilisation is also very important. Getting the most on each vehicle every trip is important for anyone in transport to make a profit.

Axtec Dynamic Axle Weighbridge - maximising payloads

So by specifying our Fleet Management Program, this customer can store each and every weighing of every tractor, trailer or rigid in the fleet in memory and analyse how their vehicle are loaded on a regular basis.

The stored information shows who has been using the system and who hasn’t. Was a vehicle overloaded? And was it reweighed shortly after with the overload corrected?

Crucially, the utilisation of every vehicle is calculated and stored as well allowing them to see how well their fleet is being used.

Armed with this information it’s easier to make informed decisions about fleet profile – do they have the right mix of vehicles? Do they have enough or too many of a particular type of vehicle? Are there any periods when loads are heavier or lighter?

And can savings and efficiencies be made?

Investing in an axle weighbridge may seem an expensive luxury. But the system would have a lifespan of many decades.

Ensuring vehicles do not go on the road overloaded and vulnerable to prosecution is only one benefit.

Adding to profits by maximising loads would cover that investment many times over and add to the bottom line for years to come.

Looking to maximise payload? A case study below.

Food to go supplier Adelie Foods has installed Axtec’s OnBoard Load Indicator across its fleet of 200 multi-temperature, refrigerated-body Mercedes Sprinters.

The maintenance-free system, which requires no training for Adelie Foods’ drivers, has been specified primarily, ‘to maximise payload potential across the fleet’. Axtec OnBoard Load Indicators will virtually eliminate accidental overloading, while maximising vehicle efficiency and ensuring vehicles remain within axle- and gross-weight limits.

By installing Axtec’s OnBoard Load Indicator, Adelie stands to maximise payload potential, making significant savings through improved fuel economy, and reduced wear-and-tear on safety critical vehicle components such as brakes, clutch, steering and suspension.

Adelie Foods - Maximising payload with Axtec OnBoard

Sean Glover, Head of Distribution at Adelie Foods said, “We deliver Food-to-Go to a broad range of clients in a variety of locations, and with most of our multi-drop deliveries taking place in a very short space of time – before 11am – we need to be as efficient as possible to ensure best possible customer service.

“The Axtec system gives our drivers a safe and simple means to see the fullest possible load information,” he said, “so they do not have to worry about accidental overloading, while ensuring each delivery is utilised to its maximum potential.”

The Axtec OnBoard Load Indicator gives drivers clear visual and audible warnings of potential or actual overload situations which may arise inadvertently as goods are progressively loaded or unloaded – even when the vehicle is still within its legal gross limit.

Axtec can fit the OnBoard Load Indicator in around two hours. The system is also maintenance-free, with the only routine upkeep involving resets which can be carried out by the customer, eliminating expensive routine service visits.

The Axtec system is activated when the ignition is switched on and it cannot be disabled or tampered with. It delivers information in the form of a vehicle infographic using a traffic light system – green, amber and red – as an overload situation approaches. An audible warning is also provided to alert the driver to a potential problem.

The Adelie Foods fleet deliver more than 3m freshly prepared sandwiches and snacks in 1,400 varieties to sites across the UK, from its network of five distribution centres. With around 3,500 daily deliveries of chilled, frozen and ambient temperature foods, and 98% of deliveries made before 11am, the company rely on accurate planning and vehicle efficiency.

What's the Cost of Weighing System Calibrations?

A question that gets asked time after time is, how much is the calibration cost? Especially in regards to the Axtec OnBoard System.

It’s an important consideration if you have a large number of vans in your fleet. Having to pay for a routine calibration once or twice a year could prove to be a costly exercise.

But with Axtec OnBoard, there is no need for an expensive service engineer to visit.

A unique feature of the system means that checking the calibration can be done by the customer on site and at no expense.

It’s a task that normally takes seconds and requires no specialist tools or training.

Axtec OnBoard - With Customer Calibration Facility

Imagine the irritation of an engineer turning up on site, being there a matter of minutes to be followed by a significant bill for the work.

A hidden cost of course is the inconvenience.

Having to keep vans in the yard awaiting a visit by a service engineer means they aren’t on the road doing the job you bought them for.

And who can afford that?

And what if the van is away from the depot or can’t be calibrated for some other reason?

Does the engineer have to make another expensive visit?

Because Axtec OnBoard can be reset by the customer, the routine maintenance cost is eliminated. And you can keep the vans out on the road working and earning their keep. And calibrate them when it bests suits you.

If a van is out and about, you can catch up with it another day.

Nothing can be guaranteed to never break. But because Axtec OnBoard has no manual controls, there is nothing for a driver to fiddle with or break.

And there’s no junction box on the chassis vulnerable to moisture ingress.

And if there is little to break, maintenance costs are kept to a minimum.

So, if you don’t use Axtec OnBoard, how much does it cost to maintain your onboard systems? 

The best thing they ever bought?

It’s always nice to hear from an existing customer about how one of our systems is helping them make a profit.

And Ford & Slater, one of DAF Trucks’ largest UK dealer groups, visited us at the CV Show to  tell us they had made annual savings of £19,000 since installing one of our dynamic weighbridges.

The had previously incurred the costs and time penalties when weighing off-site, and were prompted to invest in the system after learning the same equipment had been installed at Leyland Trucks in Lancashire – the UK assembly plant for right-hand-drive DAF vehicles.

Ford & Slater have been installing Axtec OnBoard for five years now and need to weigh vehicles for calibration purposes. Knowing that the Leyland assembly plant had been using an Axtec Dynamic for a number of years gave them the confidence to install their own.

Ford & Slater's Axtec Dynamic Axle Weighbridge

And added to the substantial saving made in time and costs of visiting local weighbridges, the install time of the system and delivery times to customers has also significantly improved.

The total installation cost which was under £20,000.00 has been virtually recouped in the first year of operation and thereafter the system is adding to the companies profits.

The Axtec Dynamic will weigh any current or projected road going vehicle in around 40 seconds and is the most accurate system of its type in the world.

Axtec took responsibility for the complete installation from planning the location to all the civil works and final commissioning and testing using our unique axle weighbridge calibration vehicle.

Axtec Dynamic was the right solution for Ford & Slater but there is a vast array of systems, software and peripherals in our range. As the UK’s only dedicated manufacturer specialising exclusively axle weighing systems we can offer impartial advice on the right system for your needs.

If there are any axle weighing issues we might be able to help with, just get in touch. And next year you could be telling us about an increase in YOUR profits.

Free advice on axle weighing? Just ask!

According to recent DfT figures, van miles traveled have increased 71% since 1996. And over the same period, the number of licensed vans has also grown by well over 70%.

Much of this is down to the way we do our shopping now – every item ordered on the internet has to be delivered somehow.

But some of the growth is down to some companies using vans for the same task they used to use smaller trucks.

You can drive a van on an ordinary car licence which means no expensive driver training is required. Other factors such as the absence of regulations covering the hours a van driver can do and road-worthiness testing all make a van an attractive proposition.

Sometimes though, the lack of ‘professionalism’ of the driver can lead to overloading issues. So too can the actual objective of trying to do with a smaller vehicle, which is less costly to operate, what used to be done with a larger one.

In many instances, an overload is caused by lack of knowledge. Ignorance about the carrying capacity or how placing too much at the front or rear can overload an individual axle can cause an operator to inadvertently break the law.

The handling capabilities of an overloaded vehicle can be severely affected. Stopping distances can increase, extra pressure is put on the tyres and suspension and fuel consumption will increase. 

Axtec Static Axle Weighbridge - but is it right for your task?

Expensive as those all are to a business, the consequences of an overloaded vehicle being involved in an accident could be catastrophic.

There are a range of solutions to prevent this inadvertent overloading, the best one dependent upon the application.

Vans on multi-drop work may benefit from an OnBoardIndicator in the cab constantly monitoring front and rear weights. An operator whose vehicles are basically mobile tool boxes might find a set of 

Portable Weighpadsfor doing spot checks or driver training useful. A permanent Axle Weighbridgewould be a good option where full loads are being delivered.

With a wide range of potential solutions, impartial advice is vital and at Axtec, that advice comes free of charge.

Some times good news travels slower than bad news

And sometimes good news is hard to find but there was plenty of good news for us at the CV Show last week.

We were delighted so many existing customers visited our stand all of whom had nothing but positive things to say about their experience of Axtec and its products.

Most of those customers had been buying our systems for a number of years so it was great to hear that even after an extended period they had no complaints about the products or service they were getting.

And most importantly were happy to continue buying.

Very much good news all round.

From the customer with hundreds Axtec OnBoard systems who visited us to appraise us of his future requirements to the Dynamic Axle Weighbridge customers who wanted to arrange meetings to discuss new installations at new premises.

We had them all visit us on our stand together of course, with a whole raft of potential new clients.

There was much of interest at the NEC but so many clients made straight for our stand to talk through their axle weighing concerns.

Discussing Axle Weighing at the CV Show 2017

Some of those new contacts were looking for a replacement supplier after they’d had a previous poor experience, but most were looking for a solution to an overloading issue.

From operators of needing OnBoard Indicators to keep their vans legal whilst out on the road to major players in the logistics industry with distribution centres needing Dynamic Axle Weighbridges.

Bodybuilders, facilities providers, consultants, parcels companies – they all took time out of their busy schedules to visit our stand and discuss their vehicle weighing problems and requirements.

So now the CV Show is over for another year and the hard work really starts following up those enquiries over the months and in some cases years to turn them into new business.

And hopefully we’ll welcome those people back to our stand in the coming years to tell us about their own positive experience.

Some real world figures on overloading.

The statisticians tell us that around 80% of the vans on the road are overloaded. We’re not sure how large a sample that is based upon but it’s an alarming figure.

In the world of real vans, real weights and real drivers, one of our customers has established his own level of overloading and, whilst the sample figure is relatively low, the incidence of overloading is high.

As part of their drive to ensure they are operating legally, one of the major utility companies bought some portable weighpads from us last year. With a number of depots around the company, the Transport Manager wanted to have a weighing facility in his car to do on site spot checks and driver training.

The perfect application for weighpads incidentally.

Axtec OnBoard Load Indicator - preventing van overloads

During a recent exercise at one of his depots, he weighed 60 vehicles before they left for work. Alarmingly, he found 40 of them were overloaded. That’s two-thirds of them.

Some were only slightly over the legal limit but some were seriously overloaded, one or two approaching 300kg overweight. A significant figure on a 3.5t van and well within the area that could attract a prosecution.

The reasons were the usual ones given by drivers such as not clearing scrap from the van after a job, keeping ‘one-extra’  spare component in the back just in case etc. These are common, daily occurrences for many operators. All avoidable but all could possibly lead to a prohibition, prosecution, and a fine.

And with overloading adversely affecting the brakes, steering, clutch suspension, tyres, fuel consumption etc, all of which are not cheap, not to mention possibly invalidating the insurance in the event of an accident, overloading your vans is something to be avoided.

If overloading is something you would like to discuss a resolution to in detail, come and see us at CV Show next week where you’ll find us on stand 5A79.

Nothing like seeing it demonstrated

Having vast experience in axle weighing means that we know all about the see-saw effect.

But not everyone, including some that have been in transport a long time are aware of what can happen when the load is incorrectly positioned on the vehicle.

A training exercise for transport and depot managers at one of the major builders merchants produced an interesting reaction from those attending when we showed them what happened.

Placing a set of portable weighpads, correctly set up and on flat level ground, beneath the front axle of a 2-axle rigid we then got them to place a couple of pallets of bricks right behind the cab. With plenty of space left on the load bed our audience were genuinely surprised to learn that the vehicle was now illegal because the front axle was overloaded.

We then put some pallets behind the back axle. And again there was genuine surprise when everyone learnt that, even though the overall weight had increased, the vehicle was now legal.

Weighpads - great for driver and operator training.

The action of putting load behind the back axle had caused the front axle weight to decrease.

The see-saw effect nicely demonstrated.

The issue of load distribution is often overlooked even by those with a great deal of experience in managing a fleet of vehicles but it is high point loads that cause most damage to the road surface.

Which is why there is a national network of axle weighbridges to check not only gross weight, but individual axle weights as well.

A vehicle can be well within its maximum gross weight but could be operating illegally because the distribution of the load is incorrect.

This is often a problem for operators with diminishing loads. The vehicle leaves the yard perfectly legal but as weight is removed from the rear, it is vital that the driver redistributes the load or the front axle can become overloaded.

As we said, even those with great experience may not be aware of this and have to have it demonstrated to them.

If you think your staff could benefit from some free axle weight training, feel free to get in touch.

The CV Show at the NEC will open it's doors on 25th April for arguably the most important three days in the transport calendar.

And we'll be on stand 5A79 by the way so come along and chat about all things axle weighing.

Even in this electronically connected world, exhibitions are still excellent for learning new ideas and discussing new ways of doing things. There's still nothing quite like a face to face meeting and getting a real feel for a customer’s operation and needs.

And the people who attend an exhibition and visit our stand have made a conscious decision to take time out of the office to come to the show, to see what's new and talk business.

Many have a specific problem and have to come to talk directly with people like us who have the experience and knowledge to offer a cost effective solution.

One such customer came to tell us that he was operating around 50 box bodies 7.5 tonners and that he’d been advised to fit load cells to them. The costs though were astronomical and although the problem remained, getting a budget to solve it would be an issue.

Axtec OnBoard find out if its right for you at the CV Show

At the CVShow we discussed his needs in detail. And whilst OnBoard system would have done the job a better solution was a Single-Axle Static weighbridge in his yard. Total cost around £7,500.00 and a far cry from the £250,000.00 he had been quoted.

More importantly, he bought the right system for his needs. Fully loaded 7.5 tonners taking products from his factory to his customers' sites with no multi-drop work really only needed to be check weighed before they left his site.

So if you need advice on what is the best system for your needs, make sure you visit the CV Show this year. Even if it's not an axle weighing system you're looking for, there will almost certainly be an expert there with a solution that could save you money.

Axtec OnBoard - use it again and again.

Something that might not be immediately obvious is that an operator can get more than one life out of the Axtec OnBoard Axle Load Indicator.

Designed with the minimum number of components which means there is less to go wrong in the first place, it also means the system is fast to de-install. 

And that means it can be reinstalled onto a new vehicle.

So when you buy a new van, there’s no need to buy a new OnBoard Load Indicator. And because the system uses the same sensors regardless of the van, it is pretty much interchangeable with any van on the road.

So if you’re switching from a Movano to a Transit or a Daily to a Crafter, the system will simply transfer over.

Size doesn’t matter either. Replacing a 3.5t van with a 4t van makes no difference. Even moving up to a 7.5t truck wouldn’t cause any problems either. The system is simply reprogrammed with the new calibration information and it’s ready to go.

Axtec OnBoard On a 3.5t Van

The system is pretty much future proof, using the very latest touch screen technology, which means you wouldn’t be installing old technology into a shiny new van.

Axtec OnBoard shows all the information a driver needs all the time. Axle and gross weights are all shown the second the ignition is switched on. Using a colour display, legal weights are shown in green, anything over 80% is shown in amber and all overloads in flashing red.

Outputs for connection to a tracking device are included with every system using a standard output. That means if you change your tracking system too, Axtec OnBoard will be able to communicate with it.

And the customer calibration facility works with all vans or trucks old or new too.

The age of the system has no effect on its ability to be recalibrated. So it could be fitted to 2, 3 or even more vans.

We have a number of customers who take advantage of the ability to de-install and re-install.

It’s a great way of keeping the cost of running a van down.

Another one for the network!

There is a real shortage of places around the UK where hauliers can check their axle weights.

So it’s nice to announce the opening of the latest one at the Wellingborough Council Depot operated by Wellingborough Norse.

Situated at the Finedon Road Industrial Estate, the new installation is strategically situated for M1 / A14 traffic. The new axle weighbridge will incur a cost of just £15 to weigh a typical commercial vehicle. Opening hours are from 8.00am to 4.00pm.

Weighing is fast too, allowing a six-axle tractor and trailer combination to weigh in just 40-seconds and to obtain individual axle and a gross vehicle weight to an accuracy of +/- 0.25% - the most accurate dynamic weighbridge in the world. The driver simply drives over the flush mounted platform at a constant speed of 2.5 mph before obtaining instant weight figures from a digital read-out.

Wellingborough Norse has also had its new Axtec dynamic weighbridge certified by Northamptonshire Trading Standards, making it available not only for public use, but also for DVSA and for other authorities to carry out inspections.

New Public Axle Weighbridge inWellingborough

This is the first publicly available axle weighing facility in Northamptonshire and the surrounding region, and will provide local hauliers and other transport companies with a fast, cost-effective and highly accurate method of checking their vehicles for correct axle weight distribution.

The Wellingborough, Kettering, Northampton intersection sees a high volume of freight traffic and is a popular region for transport companies to base their ‘hub’ operations.

So the availability of a new, dedicated and highly flexible dynamic weighbridge will be of huge appeal to hauliers, potentially saving them hundreds of thousands of pounds

Want to know more about the Wellingborough Norse site? Get in touch and we’ll give you all the details.

Don't just take our word for it!

In this blog we’ve made numerous mentions of how important it is not to overload your van. But we’re not the only ones that think so.

The FTA do as well and this week produced an article with their thoughts on the subject.

We frequently run a 3.5t vehicle at maximum weight to test out new software so we have first hand knowledge of how a heavily laden vehicle handles. And our drivers, some of them qualified Class 1 HGV drivers incidentally, report that they frequently feel unsafe driving the vehicle with that much weight on even though it is legally loaded.

Overloading  a van affects so many of the major components of the vehicle that it is hardly surprising it would feel unstable, handle poorly and could be extremely dangerous.

An accident involving an overloaded van could also conceivably invalidate any insurance. And make any new insurance difficult, and expensive, to obtain.

Many professional van operators have invested in axle weighing systems, either a permanent installation, portable or onboard.

Axtec OnBoard Protecting Against Van Overloads

A permanent system is ideal if the van is leaving the yard loaded and coming back empty. Drivers can check their axle and gross weights without leaving the cab in most cases.

Portable weighpads are ideal for infrequent weighing and spot checks but do have limitations and advice should be sort before buying them for regular high throughput use. Maybe even try a set out?

The most frequently specified system, and the best option for vehicles on multi-drop work, is the Axtec OnBoard Load Indicator.

With a simple monitor showing axle and gross weights in colour, green for legal, amber for approaching maximum and flashing red for an overload, the driver gets a clear indication of how heavy his van is.

No manual controls, so the driver can’t change any of the settings or be in the wrong mode and a unique customer calibration facility so no expensive routine service visits are needed.

With modern technology, overloading a van can be easily avoided.

Why those approach levels are important

Getting an axle weighbridge correctly calibrated is vital if the system is to provide accurate axle weights. But as the concrete approaches are so important to system accuracy, the calibration must be done on site.

Testing a system at the factory is a useful exercise to check that it works as a basic weighing machine, but it’s only when the system is installed in its final location that any problems caused by incorrect approach levels show up.

Which is why we have invested a significant sum in a purpose designed test vehicle specifically for calibrating axle weighbridges.

Every single Axtec axle weighbridge is tested on site using this unique facility. Thus every system gets a thorough test in its actual place of work and customers can be sure that both weighing system and approach levels are correct.

We normally suggest that an annual calibration is beneficial and we offer this testing facility to anyone who has an axle weighbridge.

It will starkly show up any issues.

Such was the case recently when we went to calibrate an axle weighbridge in the midlands. It was clear to the naked eye that the system had been poorly installed with no account taken of the existing concrete levels. With a roadway that sloped in two directions either side of a joint and the platform just installed with minimal construction work, the system was never going to accurately weigh a multi axle vehicle as intended.

Correct levels mean accurate vehicle weights.

Tests done with our specialist weighbridge test vehicle showed errors up to 1,450kg different to the  calibrated weight which meant that vehicles could be leaving the site seriously overloaded.

And all because the concrete approach levels were wrong.

No doubt the system was dead weight tested in the factory and almost certainly producing results within specification but failing to take account of the effects of the approach levels on a vehicles suspension meant that it would never be accurate on site.

The only course of action in this case is to lay correct approaches to ensure accurate weighing.

Sorting out a poor installation could be a costly business.

Van registrations are up but overloading needs to come down.

Whilst it is good news that LCV registrations for the year just past were at record levels, the sheer number of vans on our roads could cause problems. 

As Nigel Base, the SMMT’s Commercial Vehicle Manager recently stated, “ ...overloading rates are far too high and rectifying this is a key priority for the coming 12 months.”

Overloading a van can have serious consequences as it affects most of the major components on the vehicle – the ability to brake, wear on the suspension and tyres, clutch life etc.

All of these add to the cost of operating the vehicle. More fuel is used and repairs and replacement parts are not cheap.

And we have in the past been asked to determine how heavy vehicles were that have been involved in accidents to establish if the weight had been a factor.

One of those accidents proved fatal.

 There a range of systems available to make sure that vans are not overloaded, the correct one will depend upon the application. Weighpads for occasional weighing or spot checks or a fixed axle weighbridge for those vehicles delivering full loads to a single point.

The system most commonly specified however is an OnBoard Load Indicator.

Axtec OnBoard Prevents Overloading of Vans

Axtec OnBoard shows front, rear and gross weights permanently on a simple to read colour display. Both the actual numbers and a graphical display are shown so there can be no confusion.

And drivers do not have to remember what their legal weights are as the system will do it for them

Legal weights are shown in green, anything over 80% is shown in amber and overloads are automatically highlighted in flashing red.

There are no knobs, buttons or switches which makes the system simple to use. No training is needed and drivers cannot say they don’t know how to use it. They simply have to look at it.

And for the fleet operator who wants to know what is happening out on the road, outputs for connection to a tracking device are provided as standard so that overloads can be reported back to base.

If avoiding overloads on your vans is a priority for you this year, then we have a range of systems and software to help.