Weight Indicator? Camera Screen? Or why not have both?

When you have your own in-house development and software people means you can develop new ideas quickly and efficiently. Responding to customer requests and new ideas is much quicker when you have all the facilities in one premises.

Whilst our prime focus will always be axle weighing and preventing overloading, a problem which effects all the major components of the vehicle – brakes, steering, clutch, suspension, tyres - we have developed our OnBoard Load Indicator so that it has some extra and very important safety features.

The OnBoard Display, which normally shows axle and gross weights, is a 96mm colour tft screen. And with sophisticated internal circuitry and software it can be made to do other things adding to vehicle safety and operating efficiency.

A subject that frequently arises during conversations with customers is the lack of space in modern cabs, especially lighter vehicles. And yet the range of electronic gadgets available to help run those vehicles – sat navs, mobile phones, etc is increasing and more and more of them are appearing on the dashboard. This can sometimes lead to a confusing and cluttered cab.

And of course the more gadgets there are, the more the driver has to concentrate on and the more there is to go wrong.

We can’t resolve all of these issues but we have helped with one by developing our OnBoard display so that it can take an input from both a reversing and a nearside camera.

In normal operating mode, the screen is showing the axle and gross weights and warning the driver of any overloads. But with the cameras fitted the screen can automatically show the view from behind or down the nearside of the vehicle.

Weight Display or nearside camera screen? It's both!

We’ve even developed the system so that for those customers who need it we can show a view from a camera focused on the load bed.

No input is required from the driver. He simply selects reverse gear or indicates left and the software will automatically select the right camera and replace the weight display with rear or nearside view. The screen reverts to the weight display when another gear is selected or the left indicator is cancelled.

These cameras offer enormous benefits. Improved safety when reversing or turning left, vital with the growing number of cyclists, some less safety conscious than others, in the country, less vehicle damage, lower repair bills, less vehicle downtime and possibly lower insurance costs.

The initial investment in them isn’t great and they pay for themselves many times over.

There is another important benefit in connecting the cameras to the OnBoard Load Indicator unit though; it removes one display from an already tightly packed dashboard.

Many companies don’t have in-house facilities t develop their products instead using third parties to write software and produce prototypes. A much slower process that can be expensive and lead to mistakes.

Having in-house development facilities meant we could develop our OnBoard quickly  and efficiently getting it out to our customers so that more of them can benefit from improved safety and reduced costs.

Another interesting weighing exercise.

We spent some time last week, with the assistance of our friends from DVSA, helping out a customer, who needed to weigh a vehicle towing a new trailer to determine the axle weights.

It was the usual story; plenty of full sized plate weighbridges around but nowhere that was suitable for determining accurate axle weights, vital for this haulier's needs.

In fact it was two of the usual stories; the one above plus a customer who is trying to get a quart into a pint pot. Or put another way, far more weight on the trailer than is legally allowed. The hauliers cause isn't helped by the fact that weight limits in some European countries are higher than the UK, Holland for instance, and his customer can't understand why if it's ok to run at 50 tonnes in Amsterdam, why not in Yorkshire?

The rights and wrongs of vehicle weight legislation aside, the operator needs to comply with UK limits and in order to prove to his customer that the vehicle would be overloaded on its axles with a full load on, he needed to find an accurate, calibrated axle weighbridge.

So he approached us and we were pleased to assist by arranging a visit to a local axle weighbridge.

It's another illustration though of the dearth of publicly available axle weighing systems around the UK. And how there is a market out there just waiting to be tapped by enterprising operators installing their own axle weighing systems and charging for their use.

The one in our yard generates between £6-£10,000.00 income a year for a charge of only £6 per vehicle. As the owner of the axle weigher, you could charge what you liked. I recently heard of a £20 weighbridge fee being charged.

There is the initial investment in the equipment and installation, possibly up to £18,000.00, but that is recouped pretty quickly. And with options to spread the cost by hiring or leasing the system, the up front costs need not be as large as it seems.

Could an axle weigher earn you money too?

And once the system costs have been covered, it's free for your own use and generating income which goes straight onto your bottom line.

Whilst many yards are busy or some operators have justifiable concerns about security and don't want unknown vehicles on their sites, many we visit are pretty much empty during the day. The trucks are all out earning their keep and the yard stands idle. What better way to make use of a patch of ground that you're paying rates on than to offer an axle weighing service?

It's not only charging for using the axle weighbridge that could be a money spinner though. How about charging for a forklift to remove excess loads? Or storage? Or maybe even using one of your own vehicles to deliver the overload?

And rather than us have to arrange access to someone else's weighbridge, we'd be quite happy referring those customers who need to weigh axles to your site. Although it would mean that we'd miss out on some interesting chats about foreign weight limits!

CV Show Success - now the hard work starts!

Well the CV Show has come and gone for another year and now that we've had a bit of time to analyze the event, we've concluded that it was a very successful three days indeed. We'll be back again next year.

There was plenty of interest in axle weighing but also a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and confidence generally. The organisers will say that the attendance was up, they always do, but there were certainly plenty of people around and lots of people to talk to and a good sign of a busy exhibition is how quickly the time went.

From a company who has five 7.5t vehicles delivering sundries to take-aways to a company loading 44t tankers with waste at ports, we had a wide range of applications, vehicles, locations and problems to solve. However the initial chat on the exhibition stand are only the beginning of a long process of understanding the exact requirement, visiting the customer and seeing what he's doing and where.

The CV Show 2014 - Axle Weighbridge Systems Galore!

And that also shows the importance of having a real breadth of products, peripherals and software so that we can offer the right solution for the job. The take-away guy will benefit from OnBoard Indicators as his drivers are on multi-drop work and the load distribution will be changing all the time. The tanker operator though probably needs to look at a dynamic axle weighbridge so that he can maximise his loads before leaving the port.

Unsurprisingly both of those potential customers approached us with an idea of what they wanted to achieve but were unsure of the best solution. They had though both had conversations with people offering the wrong solution. Any company that has a limited number of axle weighing options will not be able to offer impartial advice on the correct system for the job

Impartiality is very important. We will always offer the best solution for the job not just the cheapest to try and make a quick sale. We feel that's a very short term way of doing business. It's certainly not a good way of getting repeat business and does our reputation no good at all

Often we have to tell a customer what he doesn't want to hear - that the solution to his problem is more expensive than he thought. And in many cases over the years we've walked away from an application when we either don't have the correct solution or the customer is not prepared to invest what is needed to do the job properly.

We take axle weighing very seriously and have invested heavily in equipment and manpower to make sure that we do the very best very time we supply a system whether it be a single OnBoard Load Indicator or a complex axle weighbridge system.

And we take the time to thoroughly investigate what the requirement is and explain what the best solution is and how it will benefit the customer in the end.

We understand that, quite rightly, that can be a long process and we have no doubt we'll still be speaking to some of this years new enquiries when next years CV Show rolls round again.

Find everything for the transport industry (including axle weighbridges!) at the CV Show 2014

It hardly seems five minutes since we were last at the NEC for the CV Show but here were are again less than a week away from the 2014 event.

We'll be on stand 4K58 by the way so feel free to come along and say hello.

In fact, there really is only one place to be if you're in the transport industry next week. Everything to do with transport - trucks, trailers, tyres, insurance and of course axle weighing systems will all be there.

Exhibitions are still the best way to meet new people and discuss new ideas and ways of doing things. There's still nothing quite like a face to face meeting, illustrating technical points with a hand drawn sketch and getting a real feel for a customers operation and needs.

We've found over the years that some people read every bit of mail they get, some respond to adverts in the press but an awful lot of people come to exhibitions. And for good reason - often it's simply not possible to discuss and specify a technical product via email or text however much some people think it is. A face to face meeting and seeing the product first hand is always the best way.

Customers have made a conscious decision to come to the show, to see what's new and talk business with potential suppliers. Many of them come to see a specific product or supplier. They have taken the trouble to leave their own business for a day to find out what is new and can benefit them in the future.

Or maybe they have a specific problem and are unsure of the best solution?

One such customer visited us with a vague idea about needing to weigh his vehicles but having spoken to a company who only supplied load cell based OnBoard weighing systems, he thought that nothing that made economic sense was available to him. The cost of retrofitting about fifty 7.5 tonners with load cells, even if it were technically possible, was considerable and that was without allowing for the time each one was going to be off the road.

Is this static axle weighbridge the right one for your needs?

He approached us at the Show a couple of years ago looking for a solution and after discussing his requirements in detail, it transpired that he didn't need OnBoard weighers at all but a simple 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. Obviously the lower figure was much easier get passed the finance director.

More importantly, he bought the right system for his needs. Fully loaded 7.5 tonners taking products from his factory to garden centres 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 right, and most cost effective, system for your needs, head down to the CV Show at the NEC next week. Even if it's not an axle weighing system you're looking for, there will almost certainly be an expert there with the solution for you.

So how accurate is your system?

There are some very confusing phrases used to describe accuracy of weighing systems. 

Sometimes deliberately to hide the fact that a machine isn't actually that accurate. What exactly does OIML R60 Class IIII Approved mean for instance? It sounds impressive but it's not a very clear way of describing the accuracy of the system. In fact R60 is a standard that refers only to the load cells used not the whole machine

Our dynamic axle weighbridges for instance are certified to OIML standard R134, Class I and Class 0.5 depending upon what they are being used for. The R134 standard is a much better indication of how good the weighing machine is as it refers to the system's overall accuracy. But even then just simply quoting what appear an impressive set of numbers doesn't tell the whole story.

You could buy a system with the most accurate load cells on the planet but if it's been installed incorrectly, the system as a whole simply won't weigh accurately. But if the whole system has to achieve a required standard after a test on site then you can be sure the accuracy is right.

The most accurate axle weighbridge in the world.

Something else some companies do that sounds impressive is to promise a factory deadweight test to capacity. Given that the approach concrete for a dynamic axle weighbridge is a vital part of the system which has a direct bearing on the accuracy, testing a system at the factory is only a small part of ensuring accuracy.

We visited a customer a while back who had bought an axle weighing system from a competitor. Despite only weighing 2-axle rigid vehicles, the easiest to weigh accurately, and the original manufacturers changing the load cells and weight display completely, the system was always inaccurate.

However, with our specialist knowledge it took us about 30 seconds to establish what was causing the problem and suggest the solution. And it was nothing to do with the accuracy being claimed for the system which we are sure was correct when it left the factory.

Most companies quote accuracy as a percentage. But a percentage of what? The capacity of the machine is the answer. So a system with a 40,000kg capacity and a 1% accuracy could be as much as 400kg in error and still be within specification. Or potentially 800kg when weighing a 2-axle vehicle.

Usually, VOSA will take action on overloads of 10% or more. But they use the gross weight of the vehicle to calculate their percentage. So a 3,500kg van should not be more than 350kg over that limit. 

So an axle weighbridge with a 40,000kg capacity and 1% accuracy could advise that that van is legal when in fact it is on the brink of a prosecution.

And what of our R134 Class 1 and Class 0.5 accuracy? They mean that our system can weigh to within 0.5% or 0.25% respectively depending upon the application.

And with a capacity of 15,000kg, more than adequate for the largest road going vehicles, that means we would weigh your 2-axle van to within 75kg or 37.5kg. Making our system the most accurate of its type in the world and ensuring your vehicles do not leave your site overloaded.

But sometimes weighpads are ideal!

Having spent a fair bit of time explaining how weighpads are not always the best system to use for weighing axles, there are circumstances where they are absolutely the very best option.

We have many customers who use them very successfully but it’s after all the other options have been thoroughly explored, the customer is operating right vehicles for use with weighpads and full and thorough training has been done.

We had one such enquiry only last week. The customer is running 3.5t and 7.5t vehicles delivering specialist products to all parts of the country. With two locations on the same industrial estate it would seem that the obvious choice would be the Axtec OnBoard Load Indicator.

Fitted to the vehicle, it goes everywhere the vehicle does and instantly shows the driver his front and rear axle weights and gross weight and alerts him to any overloads.

However, at peak times, when vehicles are likely to be at their heaviest, the company hires in vans for short periods.

Those vehicles need protecting from overloading as well but as they only have them for a short period, fitting an OnBoard Load Indicator is not an option.

A fixed Static Axle Weighbridge, a variant of the systems we supply to VOSA but designed specifically for 2-axle rigids, is a possible solution. But which of the company’s two sites should it be installed at? And could the drivers be relied upon to drive from one site to another, weigh their vehicle and drive back to get any overload corrected?

They ought to obviously but human nature being what it is, they may take the line of least resistance and just take the chance they won’t get caught. It’s odds on that it’ll be that one heavy vehicle which gets stopped in a weight check and, as their industrial estate is only three miles away from a VOSA check site, the risks are quite high.

Portable Weighpads - sometimes the ideal solution!

The solution for this customer is a pair of portable weighpads. Lightweight, not that they need to be as these guys lift and shift some quite heavy equipment, and portable they are ideal for moving between the two locations. So management can take them to the vehicle rather than rely on the drivers.

The hired in vehicles can be weighed as well without any modifications to the vehicles and after full training to ensure they are used correctly the pads will provide an effective protection against overloading for their fleet. And with a fleet comprising of only 2-axle rigids they are the ideal user for portable weighpads.

More than anything this enquiry demonstrates the benefit of getting good advice and taking the time to thoroughly think through what your operation needs and what the best long term solution is.

And the end result is another satisfied customer.

Portable weighpads - not always the best, cheapest option

Just about every enquiry we receive touches on the subject of portable weighpads. 

Whatever type of vehicle people want to weigh and in whatever circumstances they are often seen as a quick, simple and above all cheap method of weighing axles.

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

Portable weighpads are superb in some applications and we have many customers who use them very successfully. They are perfect for weighing 2-axle rigid vehicles especially where more than one depot needs a temporary weighing solution.

But other than that, their usefulness is quite limited.

Even when weighing 2-axle rigids, the ideal vehicle for them remember, someone needs to make sure the pads are charged up ready for use, they need to be kept under lock and key, after all they’re inherently portable and easy to carry, and someone needs to make sure area the weighing is being done on is flat and level and to supervise the weighing to ensure it is done correctly.

Portable axle pads weighing a larger vehicle 

All of this is multiplied the more axles you need to weigh. For a start there are more weighpads to be kept safe and charged up. And of course someone has to carry all of them  out to the weighing area and position them.

A customer recently purchased three sets of weighpads from us, against our best advice, to weigh large 3-axle rigid vehicles. Technically this is possible but it’s extremely hard work.

We received a call a couple of weeks after the pads had been delivered to say that there was a discrepancy of around 750kg between the weighpads and a local weighbridge. So we sent someone out to make sure the pads were in good order and being used correctly.

Unsurprisingly  it was method error that was causing the problem. Simply placing the pads on the floor in front of the axles, driving the vehicle up onto them and taking a reading is not enough when weighing a bigger vehicle.

It actually took three people almost an hour to get the vehicle weighed correctly and produce an accurate result. This was nothing to do with any deficiency with the weighpads which worked perfectly throughout but simply because it takes that much time, effort and manpower to do it correctly.

So, far from being a cheap, simple solution to the problem, to achieve an accurate weight takes plenty of time and manpower plus of course the cost of enough weighpads to support the whole vehicle in one go.

The cost of the correct axle weighbridge to weigh those vehicles incidentally would have been about the same as all those weighpads.

We’re happy to talk to anyone about portable weighpads and especially happy to point them in the direction of customers who have experience of using them both in the right and wrong circumstances.