GKR Transport is a transport, storage and logistics services specialist which was established in Perth, Western Australia, in 1985. Its fleet of trailers and prime movers predominantly operate from the east to the west, travelling throughout Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide carting general freight of any type.
“Three truck drivers got together and started the business back in the 1980s,” says GKR Transport National Fleet and Maintenance Manager, Neil Anderson. “We’re focused on having the highest level of safety on our vehicles. That’s the way we run now. We will invest in anything that will stop incidents from happening and we will fit such equipment on all new trucks and trailers.”
As part of this objective to increase safety, GKR Transport has standardised Knorr-Bremse Trailer Electronic Brake Systems (TEBS) and iMass Smart On-Board Mass systems.
“The drivers have seen some safety benefits,” Neil says. “It’s definitely given them an advantage.”
The iMass system measures the pressure in the air suspension of the vehicle and relates this to a vehicle mass estimation. The electronic levelling control installed on the truck and the TEBS installed on the trailer receive electronic signals from the pressure sensors which are then converted to a mass value for each axle group. These mass values are transmitted via the existing EBS connection for the trailers, using a CAN reader, into the driver interface unit.
Being a hardwired system, iMass ensures connectivity is easily maintained and stays reliable.
“The TEBS and iMass are compatible,” Neil says. “So, once you get your trucks and trailers on the same system, you’ve got a far better combination on the road.”
GKR Transport just rolled out 16 new trailers fitted with TEBS and iMass. Up to 25 older units in the fleet have also been retrofitted.
The fleet has also been investing in Knorr-Bremse Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). These include Adaptive cruise control and proximity control, Lane Departure Warning, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Information System and more.
“It gives us audible warnings for things like cruise control and how close you’re getting to another vehicle,” Neil says. “We were a company that weren’t running cruise control, but we’ve now got those systems in play.”
Driver fatigue monitoring has also been a core focus. The business just recently took delivery of 10 Kenworth K220s which were fitted with a range of technological benefits.
“We’ve put Seeing Machines in for the drivers,” Neil says. “We’ve been able to turn cruise control off if there’s been a warning or an incident going on.
“We have a reasonably good track record in the kilometres that we do, but it’s just one more thing to have to be that much safer.”
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