The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has commissioned five more smart trucks to AB InBev, as part of the national Smart Trucks pilot programme.

This brings the total number of operational smart trucks in South Africa to more than 270 and according to the CSIR the introduction of the Performance-Based Standards (PBS) trucks programme has significantly contributed to the drop in the number of truck accidents on South African roads.

Improving efficiency and reducing costs

The CSIR, which established the smart trucks pilot programme, says operators such as SG Coal, Unitrans, Barloworld, Buhle Betfu and AB InBev have reported a 39% reduction in crashes. In addition they’ve also recorded an average of 12% reduction in fuel consumption and as a result of increased payload efficiency, a reduction of over 84 000 trips per year.

The primary objectives of the programme, which involves conducting comprehensive PBS vehicle safety simulations and road infrastructure impact assessments, to ensure that the vehicles are designed to meet the prescribed minimum performance requirements stipulated by the agreed performance standards, is to improve logistics efficiency by reducing the costs associated with transporting raw materials and minimising the cost of delivery to customers.

Safety features and futuristic design

The CSIR’s transport experts have shown to date that the introduction of a voluntary PBS regulatory framework into the freight and logistics sector in South Africa could make a major contribution to reducing road transport costs, carbon emissions and road crashes.

A significant spin-off lies in the enhanced safety features inherent in the design of these vehicles, due to the strict rules governing participation in the programme.

In addition the CSIR has also developed a number of simulation and assessment tools including: Road Wear Impact Analysis, and GeoTrack for simulating vehicle manoeuvrability at low speeds.

The CSIR experts play an active role in the Smart Truck Review Panel, assisting in approving new truck and trailer combinations, and advancing the development of the Smart Truck pilot programme into the future.

Influencing conventional operations

“Ultimately, the CSIR envisages a future in which PBS trucks play a specific role in the freight transport network, operating in an integrated manner  with conventional trucks and rail freight, especially because South Africa has more than 300 000 registered heavy vehicles, and of these only 270 are Smart Trucks.

“Nonetheless, learnings from the Smart Truck pilot programme on best practice in heavy vehicle design and operation, have already started to influence conventional heavy vehicle operations, especially from a safety perspective”, says Steenkamp.