Trucks found wanting in safety campaign

A massive brake and tyre road safety campaign was held in Ermelo recently during which a number of trucks driving through the town were randomly selected and subjected to safety checks for roadworthiness.

The initiative was originally launched by Fleetwatch magazine in 2006 and is held nation-wide on a quarterly basis in various provinces and districts.

The initiative is designed to raise transport operators’ awareness for the need of efficient braking and tyre checking and is linked to all aspects of preventative maintenance and general safety on trucks.
The project is held over two days and is also intended to empower traffic officials with specialised knowledge to enable them to detect both obvious and hidden faults on trucks and, where necessary, removing defaulters from the road.

The Ermelo campaign was coordinated by Fleetwatch’s project coordinator, Kendall Harrison, in conjunction with the chief traffic officer of Msukaligwa, Mr Colin Enock, and included provincial and municipal traffic officers from the greater Gert Sibande district.

Traffic officials underwent intensive theoretical training on the first day, focusing on the quality of brake maintenance and determining braking efficiency as well as tyre faults and general safety aspects.

On day two a hands-on practical test day was held at the Msukaligwa vehicle testing station and at least 11 randomly selected horse-and-trailer rigs travelling in Border Street were pulled over and scrutinised. Groups of traffic officials were guided around, in and under the trucks by knowledgeable mentors and various faults were pointed out.

The most common faults found were braking faults due to lack of maintenance. One of the rigs failed the brake tests on all of its trailer axles. The rig’s braking ability was so bad that the needle on the test meter hardly moved when the brakes on one of the axles were applied.
On another truck belonging to a soft drink company and often seen on its delivery rounds in Ermelo, a brake shoe was found lying loose in its brake drum.

“Apart from being totally useless as a brake, the brake shoe could crumble in the drum and cause heat build-up which in turn could lead to a fire. It was clearly visible and thus inexcusable that it was left to operate like that,” commented a Fleetwatch official.

Of the 11 trucks examined, only four passed the roadworthiness test. Fines were issued for all transgressions found and trucks that were impounded were allowed back on the road after repairs were carried out.
Managing editor of Fleetwatch, Mr Patrick O’Leary, expressed his satisfaction with the Ermelo campaign, saying the group of officers was one of the best they had encountered.

“The discipline was clearly visible and was led from the top. All ranks were respected and we were happy to be part of the force. “The officers were also very pro-active on both days. The comments from the officers were all favourable and all, without exception, said they had learnt much that would enable them to conduct their task with a greater degree of professionalism.”