Driving into an unfamiliar industrial site for the first time can feel overwhelming. Container terminals, log yards, ports, warehouses, and processing plants each have their own layouts, procedures, and unwritten rules. Yet beneath the surface differences, most sites follow remarkably…
Stability, moments, and tipping points Every year, a couple of hundred single-vehicle rollovers happen on New Zealand roads. That figure doesn’t count forestry trucks in the bush, excavators on building sites, or quad bikes on farms. These are vehicles on…
Tyres must be checked before every trip as part of your pre-trip inspection. Tyre failures on a steer axle can cause loss of control, while tyre failures on twin-tyred axles can wipe out suspension components and leave debris on the…
What is a Drive Axle? The drive axle provides motive power by transmitting the engine’s power to the road via the tyres. It connects to the engine through the gearbox, driveshaft, and axle, allowing the truck to move forward or…
Truck strikes on bridges are a recurring problem in New Zealand, causing significant disruption, costly damages, and posing safety risks to other road users. These incidents often result from misjudgments regarding the height of vehicles or loads, inadequate route planning,…
Working out how much your truck can weigh on each axle is complex and, if you get it wrong, you can receive a fine if CVST weighs your truck. Most people who receive fines have either been given the wrong…
Four different vehicles, but one risk factor that needs to be considered before operating or lifting with them. The bigger the object being carried, the more wind resistance it creates, so the more force will be exerted on the machine.…
Four- and five-axle trucks have a twin-steer tandem axle set at the front. This enables the truck or tractor unit to carry more weight. Rather than only being able to legally support 6000kg, 7200kg or 7600kg, which is the rating…
New Zealand has a large number of roads that pass under bridges for roads, rail and pedestrians. The legal maximum height for a vehicle before a permit is required is 4.3m, and the majority of bridges fall into that category,…
Heavy vehicles (trucks, heavy trailers and motorhomes over 3500kg), passenger service vehicles (taxis, shuttles and buses), and rental vehicles must have a certificate of fitness check (CoF) every six months. It’s like a warrant of fitness (WoF) for a commercial…
Summer presents some major challenges for drivers and machine operators. Here’s how you can stay safe: Fatigue Hot, muggy nights disrupt your sleep, as does an early sunrise. Invest in a low-noise fan and thermometer for your bedroom, and some…
To save some money, you can move some or all of your furniture and belongings yourself if you don’t mind a bit of heavy lifting. Vehicle options: One time, when flatting, I moved house in a Porsche Cayenne that I…
From air suspension seats to marker lights, trucks have features that car drivers don’t get, and for very good reasons! Longevity You’ll be lucky to get a million kilometres out of your car before it becomes more expensive to fix…
There are three main types of tail lift and each one has its advantages and disadvantages: Cantilever: the platform folds up using a tilt ram and forms all or part of the rear door Folding: the platform folds in half…
On some vehicles, the rear axle passively steers or self-steers. Advantages of a self-steering rear axle It improves the turning circle. The maximum turning circle for a vehicle in New Zealand is 25m from wall to wall (excluding collapsible mirrors),…
A certificate of fitness (CoF) is a periodic check to ensure that a vehicle meets the required roadworthiness standards on the day. Not keeping your vehicle at CoF standard means you could get a fine. A CoF is required for…
In 2022, over one million dollars of fines were doled out to drivers who did not comply with the Truck Loading Code or the Road Code as regards transporting a load which was securely restrained. Seven types of offences were…
We made a request to police to provide statistics for speeding amongst heavy vehicle drivers. It’s much less likely that a truck driver will be breaking the speed limit than a car driver, but 2185 infringement notices were issued in…
2022 was a big year for logbook and worktime fines but less than when we last did it in 2018. If you were a truck driver, police were on your case due to the impact of fatigue on driver performance…
Truck and trailer rollovers are caused by combinations of: Too much speed into a corner Changing direction too quickly Turning too quickly Collapse of a bank Strong winds Tyre failure Live loads or insecure loads shifting Loads loaded with the…
