Posted: August 2017
EIS Waste has fitted Brigade’s Sidescan system to their entire fleet and are trialling additional safety devices, following the benefits seen since installing Brigade’s Backeye®360 camera monitor system and mobile digital recording device.
Based in Aberdeen, operating a varied fleet of 27 commercial vehicles, EIS Waste Services provide a collection, treatment, recycling and waste disposal service to the North East of Scotland. Having seen the benefits of both the driver and vulnerable road user since fitting blind spot elimination devices, EIS Waste has been encouraged to install further safety products in their ongoing drive for a safer fleet.
Winner of Transport News’ Scottish Fleet Manager of the Year Award, EIS Waste’s Transport Manager Raymond Henderson explains; “We want to give our drivers as much help as possible eradicating any blind spots and areas of danger around our vehicles. Most of our work is done in a congested and busy city centres where our vehicles are in contact with pedestrians, cyclists, and car drivers, many of whom are unaware of the blind spots around large vehicles.”
Required to meet specification standards including FORS, CLOCS, and Crossrail, Brigade’s Sidescan is an ultrasonic obstacle detection system that is fitted along the bottom of the cab on the nearside. The system provides an audible warning both internally and externally alerting the driver and the vulnerable road user to a potential hazard when the vehicle is turning or manoeuvring at low speed.
Henderson continues “The Sidescan system alerts the cyclists and pedestrians with an audible warning message ‘this vehicle is turning left’ and we have seen a noticeable change in the behaviour of vulnerable road users, now avoiding entering the space on the nearside of the vehicle.”
In a continued effort to achieve ultimate fleet safety, EIS Waste is also trialling Brigade’s Backsense® Radar system on a Mercedes Econic refuse collection vehicle, as well as on some of its plant machinery, providing an additional aid for vehicles that operate in its busy recycling centre at Gallowhill.
Henderson concludes; “Operator feedback is very much in favour of the Backsense device as it gives the driver an extra set of eyes at the rear of the vehicle and if all continues to go to plan, the Backsense Radar system will be installed to all plant on-site including forklifts and telehandlers. The fitting of every product has been excellent; the service provided by the local Brigade dealer at Taylor’s Auto Electrical (Dingbro) has been second to none, fitting our vehicles when it has suited – even at weekends reducing the amount of time the vehicle is out of service.”
EIS Waste continues to lead the way, championing the benefits of fleet safety devices. When asked what is the overall opinion of Brigade’s systems? Henderson answers:
“I don’t know how we ever worked before.”
