Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) has let us know about a potentially handy new online tool that might be of assistance to operators.
Advantia Transport Consulting has unveiled Payload Pilot, an online tool that calculates the static rollover threshold (SRT) of any Performance Based Standards (PBS) and non-PBS vehicle combinations.
The SRT of a heavy vehicle is an integral measure of vehicle performance on the road and can be closely linked to road safety. It has been shown a 17 percent improvement in SRT can result in approximately 30 percent reduction in heavy vehicle crashes.
Advantia says identifying a minimum SRT is increasingly being utilised in the heavy vehicle industry and is included in the draft Timber Transport Code of Practice as well as the National Transport Commission’s Load Restraint Guide.
These codes of practice set an acceptable SRT but offer little to no guidance on how to determine a combination’s SRT, it says.
Payload Pilot’s purpose is to provide localized, accurate, technical SRT information to all heavy vehicle drivers at no cost.
The tool, which received funding from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), calculates the SRT of PBS and non-PBS heavy vehicle combinations ranging from rigid trucks up to A-triple type 2 road trains.
It also provides SRT data on a heavy vehicle in its loaded condition or payload height and identifies the maximum turning speeds for a series of turns.
“Payload Pilot provides the freight industry, including small and medium businesses, with the tools to easily calculate their own SRT which complies with local road regulations, reducing rollover incidents and improving loading techniques by leveraging technology,” – Advantia Transport Consulting Managing Director Victor Trumper.
Advantia successfully conducted a field trial validation of the SRT assessment at the Australian Automotive Research Centre in Anglesea Victoria in early 2024, with a laden prime mover and semi-trailer combination (the largest combination able to fit on the tilt table).
For more information visit www.payloadpilot.com.au.
