A new 'blueprint' SMART vehicle developed by industry has pioneered a short cut into Performance Based Standards (PBS) and a 5.5 tonne payload advantage for quarry industry truck operators. The 19.6 metre Volvo/Gorski SMART tipper and quad dog trailer combination gets a 1.8 tonne payload advantage on general access at 50.3 tonne Gross Combination Mass. It has a 5.5 tonne advantage at 54 tonne on Level 2 (equivalent to the B-double network) roads over virtually identical non-PBS approved designs.The whole project was driven by committed Volvo truck operator Ray Cauchi of Cartage Australia.

All 21 of their trucks are Volvos and 11 are truck and quad dog combinations. Eight tipper and dogs are PBS compliant and the rest will be within six months due to normal fleet changeover. "We have averaged three tonnes payload gain on our PBS quad dogs,"Ray Cauchi explains. "It's like having an extra truck in the fleet." "We have also achieved payload parity with 19 metre B-doubles without sacrificing our tare weight and swept path advantages," he adds.

The year long approval process and considerable engineering costs were funded by CMV truck sales of Laverton North in conjunction with Volvo Trucks and Gorski Trailers. "Anyone can buy this PBS combination now but the spec must be identical to comply," CMV's Charles Bunkersmith says. National axle spacing standards are designed to protect bridge spans by spreading heavy vehicle weight out as far as possible. Volvo's setback front axle shortens extreme axle spacing. The solution was a slightly longer combination through PBS.

CMV and Ray Cauchi approached VicRoads PBS experts John O'Regan and Ron Smith who told them that 19.5 metres was possible under PBS because the truck and dog combinations have much better swept paths than semis. ARRB did the design work to show the vehicle met PBS standards for safety and infrastructure protection. The minimum length capable of meeting the bridge standards turned out to be 19.6 metres. The design was given national approval by the PBS Review Panel (PRP) followed by a permit from VicRoads.

Cartage Australia achieved compliance on their existing Volvo units by lengthening trailer drawbars. The first PBS step gave an immediate increase to 50.3 tonne. "But the biggest challenge was to get from 50 tonne to 54 tonne on PBS Level 2 roads, CMV's Charles Bunkersmith recalls. That soon followed the general access approval. Cartage Australia's trucks operate on Level 2 roads for approximately 60 percent of the time so the productivity gain was considerable.

Quarry product density means trucks achieve maximum weights in minimum space. That has kept quarry trucks short and maneuverable for good site access. But an extra 0.6 metre in length is not much of a price to pay for the significant competitive payload advantage under PBS. "The PBS compliant tipper and dog is still very maneuverable and still better than 19 metre tipper and dogs with set forward steer axle", Mr Bunkersmith explains. The CMV design includes Volvo 6x4 truck with 14.5 cubic metre tipper body and four-axle 24.5 cubic metre tipper trailer. The entire combination has disc brakes with EBS electronic controls. The advanced EBS includes electronic stability on both truck and trailer, with brake load proportioning and ABS anti-skid functions.

The Volvo comes with the latest Euro 4 emissions standard 13 litre Volvo engine, automated 12 speed gearbox, and road-friendly eight bag drive axle air suspension. The Gorski trailer has SAF Holland road-friendly air-suspension. The entire combination runs on 10 stud alloy wheels. CMV's PBS quarry tipper blueprint design is revolutionary in the way it unlocks practical higher productivity for truck operators. The design and certification work has already been done and is commercially available. The design has national approval for General Access at 50.3 tonne; and there is no need for route restrictions or vehicle tracking telematics.

Quarry truck operators looking for higher productivity but not willing to incur the perceived costs and delays of individual PBS certifications can step right into a whole new level of technology. But the precedent established by CMV has much broader implications for the transport industry and its suppliers. Any industry supplier or association can take it upon itself to develop a blueprint vehicle type that allows customers or members to achieve significant productivity improvements at minimal cost and hassle.

The advantage is in amortising certification costs across a significant number of vehicles to offer turnkey PBS productivity solutions in the marketplace. The return for intelligent design under PBS is virtually assured for the supplier because the approval is specific to his equipment type. Any operator who wants the benefit either buys a blueprint vehicle or develops his own PBS vehicle design. PBS blueprint vehicles may well overcome the perceived entry barriers that have inhibited wide industry take up of Performance Based Standards by individual operators to date.