COVER STORY
OBM CASE STUDY #3: ARKWOOD ORGANIC RECYCLING (Gatton, QLD.) Gatton-based Arkwood Organic Recycling have TCA type-approved OBM systems fitted to one of their Tri-Bogey-Tri A-Double units as well as a Prime Mover with Quad Single trailer, and will also be installing an OBM system on their new Triple Bogey A-Double unit which is due to be delivered from their preferred supplier Sloanebuilt Trailers in the near future. The units are used for transporting dewatered Biosolids from Waste Water Treatment Plants across Queensland, ready for reuse, predominantly by users in the agricultural sector. While the majority of Arkwood’s work is centred around the area stretching from Noosa to Tweed in South East Queensland, their trucks travel as far north as Cairns, as well as into central and western Queensland. Not surprisingly – considering the size of the vehicles they’re operating – for Arkwood Organic Recycling, having TCA type-approved OBM systems is a critical factor in their compliance requirements, and therefore, a critical part of their overall business operations. Brinsley Hammond, Manager with Arkwood Organic Recycling, explained: “Basically, if we didn’t have OBM systems fitted, we wouldn’t be able to use trucks of this size on a large percentage of the road
network.” “Importantly, even though we have to have OBM systems to use our trucks on the majority of the road network, they do provide us with a range of significant benefits, including, most notably, an increase in payload of around 7 tonnes per load on the Quad Semi over a standard Tri-Axle Semi and an increase of around 14 tonnes payload on the Tri-Bogey-Tri A-Double over our PBS Truck and Quad Dog combinations,” he added. “And as anyone in transport would know, every tonne we can carry is income - and an extra minimum of
7 tonnes in every load, adds up to a significant amount of additional revenue over the course of a year.” “With the TCA type-approved OBM systems we can maximise our payloads, prove our compliance and get access to faster, more efficient routes – it’s a big win for us on a number of levels,” he said. “Basically, the only alternative would be to use smaller trucks, which would result in more trucks on the road, more kilometres travelled, higher operating costs, reduced productivity and higher emissions,” he concluded.
INTELLIGENT MASS CONSULTATION On 1 November TCA released a document on the new Intelligent Mass application for consultation with stakeholders. Intelligent Mass is being implemented as a new application of the National Telematics Framework that enables vehicle mass and configuration to be linked with other telematics data (such as location, time and speed) for a range of policy and decisionmaking purposes. The Chief Executive Officer of TCA, Chris Koniditsiotis, said “The document we released in early November is the draft Intelligent Mass Functional and Technical Specification, which contains the performance requirements that need to be met by technology providers – or consumers with their own systems – to deliver the application.”
14 Highway Engineering Australia | Oct/Nov 2018
“The Specification also describes the key participants and their interactions in using the Intelligent Mass application.” The Intelligent Mass application builds upon the capabilities offered by typeapproved On-Board Mass (OBM) Systems, which provide high levels of accuracy, reliability and robustness in the measurement of vehicle mass. The possible use of other mass monitoring devices are also accommodated within the application. As an application of the National Telematics Framework, the Intelligent Mass application references common components of the platform including the Telematics Data Dictionary, the Telematics Data Exchange and associated Business Rules. “Referencing these common components allows the Intelligent Mass application to
co-exist with other telematics applications on the same government-endorsed digital business platform,” said Mr Koniditsiotis. “The implementation of the Intelligent Mass application responds to a diverse range of stakeholder needs across different industry sectors and regulatory environments. One immediate use of the application is the ability to better operate the road network with knowledge of the actual mass of a vehicle – instead of making assumptions about vehicle loading – to better 'sweat-the-asset'." TCA invites feedback on the draft Specification to ensure that the document meets the needs of all stakeholders by Friday 7 December. A copy of the draft Specification can be requested by contacting TCA at tca@tca.gov.au or on (03) 8601 4600.
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