‘Legal-for-trade’ on-board weighing for truckmixers
It seemed a long time coming but all at Harding Mini Mix of Potton End, Berkshire, agreed it was worth the wait when they finally took delivery of their new Mercedes 6x4 Hymix 6m3 truckmixer equipped with a ‘legal-for-trade’ on-board weighing system.
The family-run business, which has delivered all grades of ready-mixed concrete screed since 1979, has taken the pioneering step of specifying a ‘legal-for-trade’ on-board weighing system in a bid to improve the efficiency of their vehicle logistics. The significant difference between the system purchased by the Harding family and that supplied for a muckaway or aggregate tipper vehicle is its ‘legal-for-trade’ status.
An on-board weighing system fitted to a conventional tipper truck requires either two load-cells and a hydraulic oil pressure sensor or four load-cells to provide an accurate indication of the weight of material being carried by the vehicle. This type of system is fit for purpose and accurate to within ±0.5% or 100kg over an 18-tonne payload. However, it is not verified by Trading Standards – the arm of local government responsible for ensuring weights are measured accurately – and, therefore, is not ‘legal for trade’, so the vehicle operator is not legally able to charge by weight for the material delivered.
The on-board weighing system fitted to Harding’s ready-mix vehicle differs from conventional weighing equipment in that it has been verified by Trading Standards. As a result of this currently unique status within the UK, the Harding family is able to deliver concrete to site not only by the traditional volume method, but also by weight or mass. While this may not seem particularly revolutionary, it is not until the possibilities of this system are investigated further that the true benefit of the equipment can be seen.
The ability to deliver concrete by weight has revolutionized the Harding operation. Their new vehicle is able to collect a full 6m3 load from the batching plant and deliver it to multiple customers on multiple sites without the need to return to the plant to restock. This allows Harding to save on fuel costs and improve productivity, as the vehicle now spends a shorter proportion of each day in a queue waiting to be loaded. With the vehicle and driver now spending more of their day delivering material to site, the end result is satisfied customers, as their material is delivered more quickly, and a happy operator, as the vehicle is operating more efficiently.
In addition, the vehicle in question is soon to be fitted with a scoreboard. This will allow the driver to see at a glance how much material has been offloaded while he operates the rear-mounted mixer-barrel controls.
For further information about ‘legal-for-trade’ or conventional on-board weighing systems, contact Ian Napper on tel: (01427) 875574.
The family-run business, which has delivered all grades of ready-mixed concrete screed since 1979, has taken the pioneering step of specifying a ‘legal-for-trade’ on-board weighing system in a bid to improve the efficiency of their vehicle logistics. The significant difference between the system purchased by the Harding family and that supplied for a muckaway or aggregate tipper vehicle is its ‘legal-for-trade’ status.
An on-board weighing system fitted to a conventional tipper truck requires either two load-cells and a hydraulic oil pressure sensor or four load-cells to provide an accurate indication of the weight of material being carried by the vehicle. This type of system is fit for purpose and accurate to within ±0.5% or 100kg over an 18-tonne payload. However, it is not verified by Trading Standards – the arm of local government responsible for ensuring weights are measured accurately – and, therefore, is not ‘legal for trade’, so the vehicle operator is not legally able to charge by weight for the material delivered.
The on-board weighing system fitted to Harding’s ready-mix vehicle differs from conventional weighing equipment in that it has been verified by Trading Standards. As a result of this currently unique status within the UK, the Harding family is able to deliver concrete to site not only by the traditional volume method, but also by weight or mass. While this may not seem particularly revolutionary, it is not until the possibilities of this system are investigated further that the true benefit of the equipment can be seen.
The ability to deliver concrete by weight has revolutionized the Harding operation. Their new vehicle is able to collect a full 6m3 load from the batching plant and deliver it to multiple customers on multiple sites without the need to return to the plant to restock. This allows Harding to save on fuel costs and improve productivity, as the vehicle now spends a shorter proportion of each day in a queue waiting to be loaded. With the vehicle and driver now spending more of their day delivering material to site, the end result is satisfied customers, as their material is delivered more quickly, and a happy operator, as the vehicle is operating more efficiently.
In addition, the vehicle in question is soon to be fitted with a scoreboard. This will allow the driver to see at a glance how much material has been offloaded while he operates the rear-mounted mixer-barrel controls.
For further information about ‘legal-for-trade’ or conventional on-board weighing systems, contact Ian Napper on tel: (01427) 875574.
