Cutting edge technology that monitors tyre pressures,
tread depth and the axle weight of HGVs has been hailed for its
potential in boosting safety on the roads.
Trials, funded by Highways England’s designated fund for
innovation, have proved hugely successful with one in 12 of
100,000 tyres checked found to be underinflated and the Driver
and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) identifying 5,000 overweight
vehicles a month.
Now there are plans to roll the system out at strategic route
locations across the country.
Highways England’s Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention Team
(CVIPT) backed a pilot of the sophisticated WheelRight quartz
senor system at Keele Services on the M6 before running year-long
trials with John Lewis at Milton Keynes, AW Jenkinson Transport
at Penrith, and the DVSA check site at Cuerden, on the M62.
The system comprises a set of high-intensity strobe lights,
all-weather cameras and drive-over pressure instruments – all
collecting huge amounts of data within seconds which allows for
adjustments to be made to ensure that tyres are compliant with
safety standards.
This data is analysed to provide results instantly and reports
include: tyre pressures (pass or fail based on predetermined
levels); tread depths (pass or fail based on specified levels);
tyre temperatures (early identification of problem tyres or
wheels); tyre condition (via a 360o photographic image of the
tread); and Weigh in Motion data/axle weights.
CVIPT, who championed the ground-breaking system along with a
host of other commercial vehicle safety initiatives, scooped
Highways England Chairman’s Award and the Excellence in Safety
Innovation Award. The team was one of 30 winners rewarded at the
third Highways England Awards, designed to recognise activities
which further the company’s imperatives of safety, customer
service and delivery. This year the award ceremony was held
online.
Individuals and teams from within Highways England as well as its
supply chain partners were among those recognised in the awards.
Highways England Chief Highway Engineer Mike Wilson said:
We are constantly looking for ways to ensure everyone who
travels or works on our network gets home safe and well and
CVIPT can be very proud of the work they are doing to help us
achieve this.
The awards that the team have won not only endorses their work,
but also the companies and partners helping to bring forward
the ground-breaking innovations employed to embed improved
safety in the commercial vehicle sector.
DVSA’s Director of Enforcement Marian Kitson added:
We’re really pleased that vehicle safety has been recognised in
this way, and that DVSA and Highways England continue to work
in partnership exploring new and innovative ways of ensuring
the compliant operation of commercial vehicles on the roads
network.
Other projects that CVIPT have brought forward include working
with tyre firm Bridgestone to analyse the causes of tyre-related
incidents and tyre damage by analysing 1,000 pieces of debris,
launching a free smart phone app in collaboration with the
Transport Research Laboratory that simulates HGVs blind spots and
working with the Health and Safety Executive and industry to
drive forward load security best practice.
Judges noted CVIPT had delivered a range of initiatives with
partners delivering innovative measures which build on best
practice.
