Those were the words of a client recently who borrowed a set of weighpads to test weigh some of his vehicles.
Fortunately, we loaned him the
weighpads free of charge otherwise he would have had an expensive investment
not being used.
Portable weighpads are ideal for many applications and we
have numerous customers who use them very successfully. But they do need
managing if they are to provide useful information and it’s often not until a
customer tries them out that they discover they may not be the best solution.
Like all weighing systems, portable pads need to be used on
flat level ground. And the surface needs to be swept so that no stones are
under the pads. They need to be positioned correctly and drivers supervised
during the weighing process. And all of this is usually done out of doors,
possibly in poor weather and frequently early in the morning when vehicles
leave the depot.
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| Axtec Portable Weighpads - Used for Free Trials |
Even before using them, someone needs to take responsibility
for ensuring they are kept securely, they are not a cheap item after all, and
that the batteries are charged up.
This makes weighpads sound as though they are more trouble
than they are worth. Nothing could be further from the truth – in the right
circumstances they are the ideal tool – but many axle weighing requirements can
be served better with an alternative.
We are always happy to loan clients weighpads for trial as
it provides real world experience of whether they are the right tool for the
job. Just as importantly though, it allows a transport manager to establish how
much of an issue overloading is.
It may though prove that there isn’t a problem at all. Or
that the vehicles are running underweight and thus inefficiently.
Whatever the outcome, carrying out a check with weighpads
might be time well spent.
