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Brit European, Terberg DTS and Whirlpool UK Appliances are all shortlisted for the Technical Excellence Award, sponsored by Hankook, at the 2018 Motor Transport Awards. One of these businesses will be revealed as the winner on Wednesday 4 July when the awards takes place at the Grosvenor House Hotel.
Technical Excellence, sponsored by Hankook
From 2007, Brit European has used a variety of draw-bar and articulated equipment to carry its prime loads. However, even the best-performing draw-bar set-ups meant load capacity was not maximised and some journeys saw load factor down by up to 30%. The company set itself an objective of designing a new draw-bar capable of carrying optimum load factor on all prime loads for 100% of journeys. It wanted to reduce the size of its fleet and eliminate empty running, as well as ensure compliance on gross and axle weights at all times. It also wanted the product to be environmentally conscious and flexible enough to cope with new customer products. To achieve this, Brit European made a number of modifications to its draw-bar design, including adding a fixed peak deck to the space above the prime mover cab to enable the carriage of both long-wheelbase vans and truck/chassis cabs; replacing the floating horizontal deck behind the prime mover with a vertical deck option; hydraulic ramp extensions; galvanising elements to minimise repainting and corrosion; future-proofing chassis layouts to accommodate alternative fuels; and an axle weight system fitted to aid drivers.
These changes have enabled Brit European to reduce its fleet size, eliminate empty running and provide safer, more compliant working for drivers.
Judges felt this was a great use of engineering to develop an optimised solution, which delivered impressive efficiency savings.
The Terberg Urban Safe Logistics vehicle was borne out of London’s plan for a Direct Vision Standard for HGVs and the manufacturer’s desire to provide a safer working environment for drivers. The truck is based on the Dennis Eagle Elite-6 chassis with a Volvo D8K 280hp engine and Allison 6-speed automatic gearbox, which is well suited to urban multi-drop work. The low-entry cab has a large, panoramic window to afford the driver greater direct vision of cyclists and pedestrians, as well as a walk-through floor to enable safer access onto the pavement. Terberg said near-side loading/unloading is enabled through a Dhollandia 500kg loading lift instead of the driver using the rear of the vehicle, and full side-length indication illuminates during the process. Other features include geofencing capability, handbrake applied when driver leaves their seat; Mobileye Shield+ collision avoidance system, CCTV and live tracking; low-noise, low-emission refrigeration system; driver ID tag to prevent unauthorised cab entry; anti-hijack features.
The judges awarded full marks for “courage and innovation” and said it applied good intelligent thinking to the creation of a safe, practical urban delivery vehicle. They also liked the focus on driver safety, as well as other road users in close proximity to the vehicle.
Hotpoint Home Solutions is the internal logistics provider for white goods manufacturer Whirlpool UK Appliances. Its road fleet comprises 135 rigid vehicles serving the national UK delivery network of 11 satellite depot locations covering 5.2 million miles a year, seven days a week.
Its Peterborough-based fleet management team is responsible for driving technical efficiency throughout the operation, with a number of notable gains throughout 2017. For example, last year saw the operation’s best average network auditing score of 97.5%, with 98% being achieved at the final audit round. Fleet audits are carried out on tablet-based software and paperless, comprising 14 main sections containing more than 100 audit points and a full check of all operator licence compliance documentation and the required legislative procedures. These regular fleet audits provide a platform for engagement with operational managers, supervisors and drivers where fleet operational performance is discussed along with any new ideas or initiatives.
In 2017 Whirlpool UK also achieved a Green OCRS roadworthiness score of 91% across all of its eight operator licences, with MoT first-time pass rates standing at 97.6% against an industry average of 82.8%.
The company also saw efficiency gains through the launch of its 7-tonne vehicle project, which helped it gain both payload and save on fuel costs through exploring new vehicle specifications and carrying out a six-month trial. Projected savings over five years total £500,000, based on 60 vehicles.
The judges liked the use of highly targeted projects to evaluate different vehicles and specifications to drive efficiency. They also praised the strong communication with all staff across the organisation.