Alun Griffiths (Contractors)
Alun Griffiths (Contractors) designed a unique utility vehicle (above) to overcome health and safety challenges for employees, alongside boosting load capacity and reducing emissions.
To build the new vehicle, which was to be used on the firm’s Welsh Water Utility Repair and Maintenance Framework, Alun Griffiths engaged with dealership Day’s Motor Group, body conversion specialist Britt-tip and its own workforce.
The new vehicle is based on an IVECO Daily 7.2-tonne Euro-6 tipper, with lighter cab, increased payload and automatic gearbox. It features a 500kg Penny Crane and significantly reduces risk from working at height through low-level storage pods for plant, tool and fuel storage.
In addition it is fitted with a ‘three points of contact’ access system, along with rigid fall arrest bars and welfare facilities for staff to wash hands and store and dry PPE in a heated area.
Judges said: “Great innovation to an acutely specific problem. Collaborative working has been demonstrated well.”
Electra Commercial Vehicles
Electra Commercial Vehicles collaborates with chassis and body manufacturers to convert new HGVs to become 100% electric powered, with no combustion engine or range extenders.
It is aiming its all-electric trucks at operators needing a zero-emission solution to comply with increasing air quality regulations, such as London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone and UK city clean air zones.
The Blackburn-based business has access to glider platforms and full access to systems such as the Canbus from major truck-makers including Mercedes-Benz, IVECO and Dennis Eagle.
This means important features such as automatic braking and lane assist are not impacted by the chassis being electrified.
The judges said: “Looks an exciting business with great potential. An accessible electric solution is a welcomed step forward.
Grid Smarter Cities
Grid Smarter Cities has developed a construction specific variant of its intelligent kerbside management system for cities, called Freight Traffic Control (FTC).
The FTC application enables a construction site to coordinate their deliveries as per local priority, in order to achieve and maintain operational efficiency and compliance.
Diesel emissions, with a significant amount attributed to freight vehicles, account for 85% of NOx emissions in urban ambient airspace, with air quality now being recognised as the cause of more than 40,000 deaths in the UK per annum, which the solution looks to help address.
Judges said: “An innovative solution for a pressing problem.”
Microlise
Microlise provides world-leading solutions in the fleet performance, journey management and electronic proof of delivery space.
In order to provide a seamless transport management solution, several third-party products have been used in the past, to ‘connect’ different segments of the transport operation.
In response, Microlise has developed a fully Integrated Planning & Optimisation product which provides this critical missing link.
When combined with its full telematics suite, Microlise said its new system offers the only fully connected, end-to-end transport management solution currently in the marketplace.
Users also have the flexibility to adjust the package algorithm – developed in conjunction with The University of Nottingham Advanced Data Analytics Centre.
Judges said: “A good integrated system specifically when linked to tracking.”
Palletforce
Palletforce said it was first to market with artificial intelligence technology on its Alliance Sense platform.
Accessing data from more than 100,000 tracking events each day, Alliance Sense uses AI technologies to build a neural network that learns from historical data and predicts any risk of service problems.
This allows members to quickly identify consignments which may require attention and helps reduce waste and cost associated with missed deliveries.
It also builds a database of residential and challenging deliveries which may require additional precautions when undertaking tail-lift deliveries.
Since the introduction of Alliance Sense in 2019, Palletforce’s network-wide delivery performance has increased from 97.2% to 99.1% within six months.
Judges said: “A smart effective use of AI.”
Vision Techniques
VT Stopsafe, created by technology firm Vision Techniques, is an emergency braking system that can bring a vehicle to a halt in the event the driver becomes incapacitated.
It was developed following the Glasgow bin lorry tragedy in 2014 when a driver lost consciousness at the wheel of a moving vehicle resulting in six deaths and 15 injuries.
Effectively the system reduces the vehicle’s speed while simultaneously bringing it to a controlled stop using cadence/pulsed braking to ensure the vehicle is brought to a controlled safe halt.
It is activated using a secure emergency lever installed in the crew cab, allowing the crew to react to an emergency situation should the driver become incapacitated.
The judges said: “Innovative and potential saver of lives.”
- The Motor Transport Awards will take place on 17 November 2020 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Book a table now to avoid disappointment.