E-Max talks On-Board Mass

Phillip Carthew, the Managing Director of E-Max Australia, explains that for the OBM system to be used in a Smart On-Board Mass (OBM) or IAP-M program it must be able to be integrated with the telematics provider.

“There are some instances where an OBM provider may have met the technical requirements for Category B approval for the scale but then cannot connect to an approved Smart OBM telematics provider yet,” he says. “The risk here is that there is no way knowing whether they will ever get a working connection or how far down the track that might be. So, it is worth checking on the TCA website which telematics provider the OBM system has inter-connectivity with.”

Air-Weigh, one of E-Max’s leading products, currently has connectivity with every approved telematics provider approved for Smart OBM and IAP-M. Phillip says he and his team truly believe that they have created the most streamline and easiest-integrated OBM system possible.

“We have developed over the years a system that I believe to be one of the most user-friendly systems for use in both small and large fleet applications,” he says.

“A focus of our development was to produce a system that, once setup, requires little or no additional pairing of truck to trailers like many of our competitors. Once installed into a fleet and set up properly, it requires no ongoing pairing of trailer scales or truck scales when they are swapped between prime movers within a fleet.

“We call this a hot swap function. Essentially it is seamless – the user has to hook up trailers as normal then and the system will automatically do the rest. By using this hot swap function and the FSK technology, we remove the time wasting for the driver of having to find and pair trailers within the system while eliminating the frustration of pairing into nearby trailers that are not actual trailers behind the prime mover. Key on and go, is the best solution of any size fleet, big or small.”

Air-Weigh integrates with all approved telematics providers within the National Telematics Framework, and integration with all of these providers is also a seamless process. Once connected, the Air-Weigh system processes mass information within a secured network

Fast fact

Transport Certification Australia (TCA) generally grants approval for OnBoard Mass (OBM) systems which are independently tested against its OBM System Functional and Technical Specification. The OBM supplier meets the required technical specification as published by TCA which gives them categories A, B or C. Category B is required to be ready to be used in a Smart OBM or IAP-M program and Category A is not sufficient for Category B functions.

between the telematics device and the OBM system.

“It is a native integration with the telematics provider and there is no requirement for a third-party device such as a smart phone or tablet,” Phillip says. “Some other systems require the aggregation of information on a thirdparty device, which then passes off the information to the telematics provider.

I see some challenges here – when a driver is required to use his own phone to be a link between the OBM devices and telematics device there is a potential of privacy breaches of the data and also the unwanted collection of data through a device that does not belong to the transport company.”

When it comes to E-Max’s Air-Weigh product, Phillip explains that complete data security is one of its top priorities.

“Air-Weigh data is encrypted across the OBM network on the truck,” he says. “The system contains its own 128-bit security and electronic PIN, so there is no requirement to seal up the calibration process or any protective box. It can be an inconvenience at a calibration interval to remove the seal before calibration and replace it with a new one after the calibration is complete, not to mention the ongoing cost of the seal. Also, a physical seal does not stop tampering and you must have seals on hand to complete a calibration to be compliant with the regulators.”

Security of the system like all other features is seamless. According to Phillip, once setup it doesn’t to be addressed again unless there is a requirement to change PIN numbers.

“We have served this market here in Australia for over two decades,” he says. “Our product comes with an industry leading three-year-warranty with national coverage. We are grateful and feel privileged to be involved in the Australian transport industry, they are some of the greatest people on earth. We look forward to continuing to serve this great sector of industry.”

Contact E-Max Australia 69 Acacia Road, Ferntree Gully VIC 3152

Ph: 1300 850 575

Web: www.e-max.com.au