Getting the right tool for the job...

If the latest DVSA figures are correct, overloading is still the top offence committed by operators of Light Commercial Vehicles.

It may seem a minor offence but an overloaded vehicle is very unstable and very dangerous. Putting too much weight on a van effects all the major components on the vehicle - steering, brakes, suspension, tyres, clutch  - which must have an effect on the performance.

And if the performance of the vehicle doesn’t concern you surely the excessive fuel and repair bills caused by overloading would?

What is sometimes overlooked is that even though it was only an overload on a light commercial vehicle, the penalties for overloading them are the same as for heavier vehicles. And whilst they are not on the ‘O’ licence, any offences caused by light vehicles will affect your application or any renewal.

We know from our own experience, we run service vans for instance, that light commercial vehicles are very easy to overload. As we are the sole provider of service to the national network of DVSA axle weighbridges and thus come into contact with them on a daily basis, it would be highly embarrassing if any of our vehicles were found to be overloaded.

So we have fitted the vans out with the Axtec OnBoard Load Indicator.

OnBoard Load Indicators - right for your LCV's?

Axtec OnBoard shows front, rear and gross weights on a colour display all of the time. No knobs, buttons or switches for the driver to fiddle with or break and thanks to its unique customer calibration facility keeps maintenance visits to a minimum and service costs low.

But an onboard load indicator may not be the most cost effective solution.

Only yesterday we were approached by a company about the Axtec OnBoard. Running 14 vehicles from two depots the system would certainly do a job for him and protect his vehicles from overloading out on the road. But after talking it through with him it became apparent that there was a less costly option.

As he was taking full loads from his depots to jobs and returning empty apart from  some small amounts of scrap, a static single axle weighbridge in each yard would offer him greater benefits.

The Static Single weighs any 2-axle rigid vehicle and this customer is running 14 vans. The cost of installing a Static-Single at both his depots is less expensive than equipping every van with an OnBoard Indicator.

Another benefit is that he wouldn’t need to equip every new van he bought with a system. Once the Static-Single is installed, it’ll last for years and even if his fleet grows to include larger vehicles, the system is designed to cater for anything up to and including 18 tonners.

It was only by investigating what he did, how his operation worked, where his fleet is based and what is plans for the future might be that we were able to specify the correct solution for his needs even though it is only light commercials he’s using.

So why DO we lay high tolerance concrete approaches?

Sometimes a customer won’t listen to good advice or listen to the experience of another customer who also ignored that good advice! We’ve experience both in the last couple of weeks.

Manufacturing a highly accurate axle weighing machine with high accuracy load cells and weight indicator is only part of a successful installation. Our dynamic axle weighbridge is the most accurate of its type in the world but getting the installation correct is vital and just as important as making an accurate weighing machine.

Employing, training and equipping our own construction teams may seem an expensive luxury but they are an essential part of us being able to offer that most accurate axle weighbridge in the world. 

Without them, achieving any sort of accuracy would be virtually impossible and we have seen many come and go that have tried to so it without making sure they have first class installation team.

This was illustrated really well recently when we went to install a system into groundwork prepared by others; a well known construction company.

Despite having a drawing and free advice from us, the finished levels are so poor that the only way we could achieve any kind of accuracy was by having the axle weighing platform sitting very proud of its frame. It doesn’t look very professional and could be construed as a trip hazard but it’s a direct result of the approach levels being so poor. We will almost certainly have to dig it up and relay the approach slab correctly in the near future.

It’s because the levels are so important that we have our own construction teams. That way we take full responsibility for the installation and can achieve the high accuracy that we do.

When using an axle weigher, only one axle is on the platform at any one time. The others are on the concrete either side of it. And uneven concrete approaches will seriously affect how a compensating bogie distributes weight. Thus, the approach levels affect the vehicle suspension not the axle weighbridge itself.

High tolerance concrete is essential for accurate weighing

No amount of adjusting the axle weighbridge indicator will remove this effect. The levels have just got to be right and if that means digging up and relaying the approaches, then that’s what needs to be done.

But even explaining the reasons for it, and telling the story of this recent issue with a major construction company to our customer, he still seems set on trying to get a system installed on the cheap. Questioning whether it really is necessary to go to the expense of providing accurate concrete approaches.

A weighing machine only measures gravity. No one can influence it or change the way it works. It can only be measured. And if anyone tries to install an axle weighbridge ignoring one of the great forces of nature, then they are making an expensive mistake.

There is no cheap solution but despite all the evidence, it still doesn’t stop some people thinking they can defy gravity!

Not fit for purpose...

That’s what the customer said when we went to look at his axle weighbridge. He went onto explain that he’d had no end of trouble with it.

Thankfully he wasn’t talking about one of ours. We imagine he was also quite pleased that it was his predecessor who bought it and not him.

We’ve mentioned the difficulties that can accrue from trying to do axle weighing on the cheap in the past and no doubt we will come across many similar installations in the future. Something that looked a very good deal on paper but turned out to be a load of trouble. And expensive trouble at that.

On the face of it, it’s quite a neat looking installation in quite a clean yard and not particularly heavily trafficked. But there are a few features that mean the system will not do what the customer wants.

The load cells and their mountings, which are very good quality by the way, are not the right design for a dynamic axle weighbridge application. The type of mountings will wear simply by using the system. Simply driving vehicles across the plate will lead to frequent failures and expensive repairs as this customer has found out to his cost.

The whole area is on a slope which will affect the accuracy. Any weighing machine is only measuring the effect of gravity and no weighing machine can influence that effect. Gravity will always pull in a straight line downwards and load cells are all designed to see weight going through a predetermined path with the strain gauges attached accordingly.

This axle weighbridge at least is up to the job!

This means if the load cells are on an incline, the load is taking a path through them that isn’t directly downwards an inaccuracy will result.

It isn’t the weighbridges fault. It only measures the effect of gravity it can’t influence it but it’s surprising how many people only listen to what they want to hear. They think that the cheaper an installation is, the more of a compromise it is, the more it can bend gravity to its will! The fact is there is a reason why we design, install and test our system the way we do.

A gentle incline won’t put the system outside of its tolerance as long as it is used correctly but it does mean that proper operation is essential.

This customer also has plans to offer the system as a Public Weighbridge and earn some income from it. The only type of system which can be offered in this way is one that has been Approved for the purpose and this one hasn’t been.

The Axtec Dynamic Axle Weighbridge is the only one which achieves this Approval and can thus be offered for this role.

There will be some cost attached but no more than should have been spent in the first place. So with a few modifications the customer will get what he wants and a system that will last him for years and start earning him money rather than costing.

Busting those myths about axle weighbridges!

Another show has been and gone, this time the premier show for those involved in waste and recycling, RWM at the NEC and as usual it provided a good set of new leads and raised a few questions.

As well as ourselves there were many companies exhibiting which were offering high tech solutions to all manner of problems and it was interesting talking to fellow exhibitors and discovering how slowly new technology is sometimes adopted and how old ideas can persist.

One of the great things about exhibitions is spotting a new way of doing something or planting ideas about what the market needs into the minds of suppliers. Manufacturers will always be on the look out for new opportunities to serve their market whether that be in axle weighing or any other field.

Yet there are some ideas which seem very firmly entrenched and difficult to shift.

There are two that we encounter frequently; dynamic axle weighbridges cannot be used for Trade and they need more space that a traditional plate weighbridge.

Small yard? A dynamic axle weigher takes up  little space.

Dynamic axle weighbridges have been Approved for use for Trade for many years now. Twelve or more years but it seems that some in the waste industry haven't picked up on that yet. Our dynamic axle weighbridge is the most accurate of its type in the world and as well as being Approved for Trade, it's actually accurate enough to be offered for Public weighing as well.

We've been using the one in our yard for that purpose for years.

The space issue is a bit of a red herring. It's true that typically 30m is required for a dynamic axle weighbridge but all but about 1m of that is just concrete. When a vehicle isn't being weighed, it can be used just like any other piece of yard concrete for parking, turning etc. And it certainly isn't in the way like any surface mounted platform would be.

An articulated vehicle needs much more than 30m to use a traditional plate weighbridge. It needs to be straight when approaching the system so with a typical 13m wheelbase that means a 13m clear area ahead of the approach ramp. The ramps are typically 3m long then there's the weighbridge deck at 15m. The last axle of the vehicle needs to be clear of the ramp before the vehicle can start turning safely so that needs another 13m beyond the end ramp.

All this means a total area of around 47m, some 17m longer than is needed for a dynamic axle weighbridge.

There are other benefits too; being flush mounted a dynamic axle weigher offers no above ground 'target' to be hit by wayward drivers. So damage to weighbridge, truck, tyres etc is minimised if not eliminated.

If space saving is important, then a dynamic axle weigher offers an excellent alternative to the traditional plate weighbridge.

And don't forget you CAN legally use a dynamic axle weighbridge for Trade as well.

It's show time!!

All the planning has been done, the pictures and equipment packed and ready and the ancillary items booked. All we need to do now is head for the NEC on Monday and set up the stand.

So if you're attending the Recycling & Waste Management Show (RWM) next week, feel free to come and see us on stand 5P151.

Exhibitions are usually an interesting time and next week should be no different.

Weighing waste may seem an odd thing to do for those not in the industry but it makes perfect sense to those that are. And investing in the right equipment can make a huge difference to the bottom line of a business.

Not only is it vital to ensure vehicles are not overloaded, overloading effects all the major components on a vehicle - brakes, tyres, steering, suspension, clutch etc and can lead to expensive repair bills not to mention a potential fine, loss of 'O' licence or even the whole business.

But underloading is almost as big a problem for some. Vehicles need to be operated at maximum weight all the time if customers are to squeeze the most out of them. Operating a vehicle at anything less than maximum weight is a huge drain on a companies cash.

A year or so ago we were approached by a customer who had exactly this problem. Transporting waste that couldn't be recycled to landfill was a necessary part of his business but despite filling his vehicles, the weights being tipped were actually quite light.

How then to maximise the loads being carried without overloading?

The answer was an Axtec Dynamic Axle Weighbridge and the results were quite astonishing.

With his own axle weighing facility, he discovered that he could get a whopping one-third more on each vehicle every trip. That reduced his vehicle movements by 30%. So that's 30% less fuel, 30% less wear and tear and 30% less landfill fees.

Could you save money by getting more on each truck?

The axle weighbridge paid for itself in a matter of weeks and has been adding to his profits ever since.

Whilst our customer always thought he could get more on each of his vehicles, he never had the means to check it. And he certainly never expected to be able to compact it as much as he could and get so much more on each vehicle.

And without the right axle weighbridge he would have continued with the educated guesswork he had been employing for years and which had been costing his business money.

Do you have similar concerns? Are you that customer who, despite vast experience in the field, can still get the guesswork wrong? And with all the technology available now, should it be left to guesswork these days at all?

If you are, we'll be happy to have a chat next week at the NEC. Don't forget now, stand 5P151. It could be quite a profitable conversation.

Axle weighing is easy, right?

Installing an axle weighbridge is easy isn’t it? Just fit four load cells under a piece of steel, sink it into a hole in the ground, mount a weight display somewhere and start parking axles on it. Easy right?

If only it was that simple.

If it was that simple, we wouldn’t go to the trouble of doing levels surveys at every site, making a complex frame design to an extremely high tolerance, invest in expensive on site testing equipment or using some of the most expensive construction materials on the market.

Getting it right takes a lot more effort and knowledge than it seems.

And getting it wrong can sometimes prove costly to correct.

A major high street retailer installed an axle weighbridge at a large distribution centre. Unfortunately for them, the contractor who built the warehouse chose the cheapest system he could find and then installed it himself.

The client was only weighing 2-axle rigid vehicles, normally the simplest vehicles to weigh but despite the best efforts of the axle weighbridge supplier, they came and replaced all the electronics and load cells not once but twice, it still wouldn’t weigh these simple vehicles accurately.

So we were call in to give a second opinion. And we spotted the problem within about 15 minutes of arriving on site, ten of which consisted of signing in and waiting for our contact to arrive!

The client was using shunting vehicles to weigh drop-bodies before parking them up ready for the distribution fleet to take them away in the morning. These off-road shunters had a very soft suspension which meant it reacted to every bump and hollow in the yard.

The axle weighbridge had been installed about 5mm proud of the approach concrete which, combined with the soft suspension caused the axles to bounce as they crossed the platform. Any weighing machine will only record the weight applied to it and if the axle is bouncing as it crossed the platform, the wrong weight will be applied and the wrong weight recorded.

A correctly installed axle weighbridge - unlike some we see!

There was nothing wrong with the load cells or weight indicator at all just a lack of knowledge of what is needed to weigh axles accurately.

Having to dig the system up and install it correctly is never a cheap option but there was no alternative.

This is a common issue and a trap that many companies have fallen into over the years.

It’s not the only one example. We’ve seen many installations using perfectly good load cells and mountings which simply do not weigh axles correctly. The only trouble is these load cells are perfectly good for many applications but are simply not designed for the job they’re being asked to do.

All we have to do is fit four load cells under a piece of steel, sink it into a hole in the ground and start parking axles on it isn’t it? Not true and demonstrably so in many of the sub-standard installations we see.

If you think hiring an expert is expensive....

Just wait until you hire an amateur.

We’ve just priced up a job for a major national company who need to check raw materials arriving at their factory. They’re not claiming that their suppliers are defrauding them but they just want to make sure that what is on the invoice s what actually arrives.

The site presents some challenges, slopes, a two way road, remote printing location amongst others, so to do it correctly means the investment in the project overall will be substantial.

But at the end of it, the system will be highly accurate and provide the customer with the information he needs for many years. We maintain some systems which are nearly 40 years old and still going strong for instance.

There are though, plenty out there who will do the job on the cheap. Poorly designed, badly installed and not really up to the job and, in just about every case, considerably cheaper.

A recent enquiry came from a customer who had just been quoted £4,500.00 to replace all the load cells and mountings on his axle weighbridge only four years after he had previously had them all replaced at a similar cost.

Bluntly he’d been persuaded to buy a cheap system which wasn’t really up to the job and unless he invested in a more hard wearing installation he was going to be spending that £4,500.00 every few years for ever.

So that initial investment turned out not to be as cheap as he thought.

Shouldn't that weighbridge cable be in a duct underground??

Not only that, we’ve seen some very sub-standard and in some cases downright dangerous installations as per the photograph.

Unsurprisingly, this is an issue that some of our customers find as well. One provides specialist excavating services and designs and builds a lot of his own equipment. He has similar tales to tell of companies  who make all manner of claims as to what they can achieve at a fraction of the price of the experts.

We all want to pay as little as possible for the equipment and services we buy and driving a hard bargain is something we all do. It’s something we expect our customers to do. But there’s a difference between negotiating a fair price for all and being blinkered to what the experts are saying because someone else has offered a considerably cheaper price.

Some people are blinded by the price and never question why a complex installation is so much cheaper from someone else. There is always a reason for it.

Many of our staff have been involved in axle weighing for over 30 years and in that time we’ve learnt an awful lot about the subject. We look at each application closely and work closely with our clients to make sure we fully understand what information the require and where and how it is going to be used.

Only by doing that and specifying the right system for the job including all the items that are essential for it to work will it do what the client wants and have a long life.

There are though, much cheaper ways of doing it if that’s what you want!