Click here to see the sliding fifth-wheel operation in more detail
Case Study Trials and Payback Time
Damage
Achievable Fuel Savings
Facts Rarely Considered
Trailers
Case Study Trials and Payback Time
Following a five-month trial by Core Management Logistics in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, United Kingdom pulling containers, boxes and curtainsiders the firm
has seen an
8% fuel saving. Based on fuel prices as of September 2009 in the UK, with an approximate annual fuel spend of £35K the payback
time for the purchase and fitment of the system is 5.3 weeks. A 2% fuel saving gives payback in 21.2 weeks and a 1% fuel saving take 42.4 weeks to payback unless fuel rises further which
will bring the payback time down further still. This excludes the further
savings to be gained by the reduction of accidental damage to vehicles during the coupling process.
Stop Gap is also working closely with the University of Kent and the Canterbury Enterprise Hub who are assisting client companies to develop
opportunities to expand the use of fuel saving products in the UK and to promote them in international markets such as the USA and China.
Damage
Damage is often caused to the light clusters on the rear of the cab either when
coupling up or when articulation takes place. Damage may also be caused to the rear
of the trailer and the cab when coupling up or again when articulation takes place.
This can be prevented whether a sliding or a fixed fifth-wheel is fitted. If any damage
is caused to any of the equipment it usually leads to costly vehicle down time,
the replacement and fitment of parts and at worst, possibly a late or missed delivery
which could lead on to a time penalty.
Achievable Fuel Savings
If a vehicle can be coupled-up as close as possible this will give maximum fuel
economy by reducing the cab gap and air swirl between the two. When the UK Government
commissioned the Safe And Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) programme, trials and tests
were conducted by Huddersfield University to obtain facts and figures on fuel savings.
It was established that by closing the cab and trailer gap by 42 cms (16.5 inches) an 8% fuel
saving was achieved. Each segment on a Jost fifth-wheel equates to 5 cms or 2 inches. Based
on these proven figures for every segment of 5 cms or 2 inches that the cab gab is
reduced, an approximate 1% fuel saving may be gained.
Facts Rarely Considered
1 - The manufacture of trailers and their pin location is NOT universal and
they are not all the same distances from their respective headboards due to their
operation.
2 - The fifth-wheel fitted to a cab is not always fitted in the same place
due to axle weights and overall vehicle dimensions. Therefore two of the same manufactured
vehicles may not have their fifth-wheels fitted in the same place.
3 - Driver training – Drivers when undertaking their LGV training and even
some of our experienced drivers invariably use a dedicated vehicle. They do not
come across varying dimensions of trailer pin and fifth-wheel locations and so when
confronted with this often it can lead to an incorrectly positioned trailer to cab
ratio which could cause damage.
4 - A company that is using fixed-fifth wheels
throughout its fleet will not benefit by obtaining a smaller cab-gap. However, do you know exactly what
position the fifth-wheel is in relation to the king-pin location from their respective collision points. Whilst the full
system does not need to be fitted the cab measurement dimension plate can still be fitted at a fraction of the cost,
which will give the driver that information. This will assist with
Health & Safety issues and the working environment by making this part of the coupling-up process safer and risk-free!
Trailers
Trailers must be fitted with the 'trailer dimension plate' (see diagram below) giving the two points of contact.
They are known as
'THE CAB GAP' shown in red which is the the front corners of the trailer and
'THE TRAILER GAP' shown in blue which is
the nearest point of contact to the rear lights of the cab, usually the trailer legs.
These are essential pieces of information to perform a safe coupling-up process because it gives the driver a 'boundary'
to work with. Until now, judgement has only ever been done by eye and guess work.
Trailer Dimension Plate
Trailer Dimension Plate for 40 ft and 45 ft Container Traffic
