CHALLENGES WITH ROAD TRAINS

By Benjamin van der Veen

Road trains or land trains, also known as long combination vehicles, are most suitable for countries with large expanses of remote land, such as Australia, the United States, Canada, South Africa, other African countries (including Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Namibia and Madagascar), and some parts of Europe.

Road trains are becoming a more common feature in the Southern African mining landscape, as they can e iciently transport raw and treated minerals over distances from 5km to 100km.

Unitrans’s mining division strives to be the safest and most innovative operator in the industry, with a proud track record that proves this. In addition to significant payload increases in its transportation methodology, this translates into decreased rates per tonne and reduced environmental impact and carbon emissions.

Increased Payload Capacity

In 1984, road trains were a new concept that Unitrans’s mining division implemented by enlisting 18 road trains in its service. Five years later, the mining division upgraded these road trains. Kobus Burger, operations executive of the mining division, says: “We added a dolly to a bottom dump interlink trailer combination in 1989, which increased the payload from 34 tonnes to 45 tonnes.”

The idea was based on reducing the number of trucks on the road. “By increasing payload capacity, we have decreased the size of our fleet. This has reduced the onroad risk and the number of trips – we were using dirt roads and travelling in the rural areas surrounding the mines at the time,” he says.

Burger says while the idea originated in Australia, the vehicles are built in South Africa. “We have done a lot of development since inception. In 1994, we introduced four-trailer road trains measuring 42.7m in length for one of our key mining clients. Due to the increased payload, this reduced their fleet from 16 vehicles to nine – cutting it by almost half.”

Australia has road trains with five to six trailers, and they run simulations on safety, speed and capacity before the vehicles are approved and built in South Africa to comply with performance-based standards.

Road trains vary in configuration, depending on the job’s requirements and the country’s regulations. The basic design is a lead truck or conventional tractor unit –called the prime mover – with one or more trailers attached.

Trailers can be fitted with steering axles, allowing the rear axle on each trailer to pivot slightly while turning. This prevents rubbing the edges of the tyres due to the heavy loads placed on them. Road trains (especially in Australia) can be up to 53.5m long, and about 10 car lengths.

Road Train Benefits

In Africa we use them to transport products ranging from livestock to grains, fuel, salt, ore and construction materials.

Some of the key benefits of using road trains include:

■ Greater payloads = better cost e iciency With the vastly increased carrying capacity, delivery e iciencies are greatly improved. High transportation and fuel expenses comprise a significant portion of logistics costs in Southern Africa.

■ Reduction in fleet requirement

Suppose a road train vehicle can be used optimally. In that case, the potential savings could exceed tens of billions of rand each year in fuel, reduced road damage, and fewer heavy vehicle accidents.

■ Decreased emissions reduce environmental impact

A single-engine (on the lead truck) for a similar size load that would traditionally take various trucks means a direct – and significant – reduction in emissions.

■ Decrease in rate per tonne

It is more environmentally friendly and leads to a decreased unit cost per tonne, which can positively influence margins throughout the supply chain.

■ Increased safety standards

Current road regulations define a “prescriptive box” that vehicles must fit into (height, width, length). Trucks and trailers must pass 16 performance tests comprising low- and high-speed manoeuvres, such as emergency lane changes, turning circles, acceleration and braking.

WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS TO ROAD FREIGHT PROBLEMS IN SOUTH AFRICA?

The increased use of road freight in South Africa comes at a cost. Roads are damaged more o en, and the lack of infrastructural development in the country means repairs seldom follow. This in turn leads to added vehicle maintenance costs for freight companies, while also posing a threat to the lives of drivers carrying the cargo from one destination to another.

When asked about the most significant challenges South Africa faces with its road, rail and shipping networks, Relog chairman Gary Benatar says: “Rail is an essential transport and logistics option in terms of the mode of transportation. This must happen if one assumes that private operators can o er a better and more reliable service.

“Rail is also much more environmentally friendly, as it uses much less energy and has a lower CO2 per kg transported or per

Proper development and maintenance of the roads and connectivity to other regions can help overcome several challenges that freight transportation companies face, leading to:

■ Reduced cost of vehicle maintenance

■ Reduced time in moving the cargo from one destination to another

■ Fewer hijackings due to bad roads

■ Fewer accidents caused by bad roads

■ Less insurance costs on cargo and driver container moved. So, in addition to the economic benefit and the ability to make transport cheaper and more e ective, it is more sustainable.

“As the economic hub of South Africa (Gauteng) is the furthest from any navigable water compared to any other country in the world, we face a major disadvantage. We only have road and rail as our transport modal options.

“Unfortunately, since the deregulation of Transnet in the 1960s and the lack of focus on rail, the majority of transport to Gauteng has switched to road, which is the most expensive and environmentally ine icient option. However, it is currently the most reliable and fastest,” he says.