JOST: On the hunt for safety

JOST has primarily been known for its success in fifth wheels. The OEM sports a distinguished range of products that have proven to not only do the job they were designed to but provide a plethora of bonus benefits as well, such as ease of use, fewer maintenance requirements and reduced downtime.

But JOST has also been advancing towards something greater. In recent years, the manufacturer has taken a deeper dive into safety – a factor prevalent in transport – and it’s looking to make a powerful impact.

A regular issue within the transport industry has been the case of incorrect couplings which can result in dropped trailers and significant damages. This is known to be a very costly error for those who experience it, but JOST offers a solution through one of its latest innovations, Loc-Light.

“A key issue when trying to set up road trains, B-doubles and multiple trailer applications is there’s more than one fifth wheel on the vehicle,” says JOST Australia National Fleet Manager, Shane Harbridge. “So, ensuring that we’ve got the technology there for people to be able to have that second tier of safety when hooking up a B-double or dolly in an A-double or road train application is essential.”

JOST’s Loc-Light sensor system does just that. Featuring a dual sensor monitoring setup and LED illumination with orbital sounder, the system has the ability to ensure secure and reliable couplings while reducing the risk of errors.

Loc-Light is integrated with a green/red indicator near the handle of the fifth wheel. How this works is very simple; when the handle and kingpin are properly locked, the light turns green which signals that the trailer has been coupled correctly. If the handle or kingpin is not locked correctly, the light flashes red and the orbital sounder will give an alarm.

“Loc-Light wires into a power supply on the truck, trailer or dolly with its own independent light on the side of the fifth wheel,” Shane says. “If operators hook, say, a B-double or a road train up, when they walk down the combination and go to plug the hoses and everything in, they will also have a light display as an extra indicator in addition to their regular visual inspection.”

Loc-Light’s built-in orbital sounder will also alert operators if there is something wrong with the fifth wheel or the way that the trailer has been connected. That being said, JOST is confident that the innovation will make the coupling process easier and the chances of dropped trailers and damages less likely.

Loc-Light isn’t the only solution that JOST brings to the table in this area. The OEM also possesses other critical technologies such as ROCKINGER couplings which can be fitted with additional safety features such as jack-knife sensors, air operation and dash sensor displays with sensor lock indicators.

The latest addition to the ROCKINGER coupling includes the drawbar finder which is integrated with a camera for in-dash display. Meanwhile, JOST’s unique Sensor Coupling System can tell whether a fifth wheel is coupled correctly or incorrectly via an in-cab dash display. By being able to prevent false couplings and dropped trailers from occurring, it can provide operators with extra peace of mind when connecting trailers and prime movers.

The Sensor Coupling System does this using three sensors fitted to the turntable – one on the plate surface to detect whether or not the skid plate on the trailer is in contact with the fifth wheel plate surface, one to detect the kingpin and ensure the lock jaw is secured around it and one on the handle latch to ensure the handle is in the fully locked position. If any or all of these sensors detect an irregularity, the Sensor Coupling System will alert the driver that something is wrong and that the coupling process needs to be revisited.

The technology in some of these systems, according to JOST, is also what ultimately led to the successful development of its revolutionary automatic coupling system, KKS.

KKS automates the entire coupling and uncoupling process with the push of a button on a remote control, and according to JOST, it has the potential to halve the time it takes to change a trailer while eliminating all physically demanding activities associated with the coupling/uncoupling process.

KKS is more than one single component. Relying on a unique combination of the fifth wheel coupling, connectors, electric landing leg gear and remote control, all of the individual components come together to ensure trailer swapping is fast and safe.

In addition to being a big efficiency gain, it is also reported to almost halve costs per truck trip depending on the transport order, driving and saddle time. The core of the product is a high-quality 2” cast saddle coupling KKS 42 which is tried, tested, reliable and highly functional.

Together with the KKS Connector (which is fitted under the body of the trailer), KKS forms the revolutionary sensor coupling system with Sensoric, LubeTronic and pneumatic opening cylinders.

The unique KKS Connector automatically and securely establishes all mechanical, electrical and pneumatic connections between the truck and trailer, thus eliminating the need for spiral lines for air, electrics and Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS) as well as Electronic Braking Systems (EBS).

KKS also eliminates the need for landing leg cranks and pulling fifth wheel handles, ensured by the robust KKS E-Drive landing legs and air-operated fifth wheel cylinder. This is an electric and air support winch that is also controlled via the KKS remote control and replaces the time-consuming and physically strenuous pulling and cranking. By eliminating these factors, JOST claims the space requirement is reduced enormously.

In addition, KKS also helps reduce OH&S concerns when it comes to manually connecting or disconnecting vehicles such as pulling the fifth wheel handle, winding landing legs and climbing on and off the vehicle to connect hoses.

JOST’s KKS, Sensor Coupling System, ROCKINGER drawbar finder and Loc-Light are all innovations which build on the company’s already extensive product line-up of fifth wheels, landing legs, kingpins, ballraces and more. JOST’s diverse range of innovations for trailers and prime movers allow the OEM to act as a critical link to increased safety as a result.