Freight & Haulage

Freight & Haulage

Freight and Haulage Vehicle Safety

Freight and haulage is the backbone of the economy yet the public perception of heavy goods vehicles is poor. They are seen as machines that dominate the roads and cause collisions, congestion and noise pollution.

Statistically, HGV drivers are safer than car drivers, having half as many accidents per miles traveled, but the size and weight of heavy goods vehicles mean that when a collision does occur, the consequences can be far greater.

 

Generally the larger a vehicle, the less visibility the driver will have, and an HGV is likely to have extensive blind spots to the rear, side, front and nearside of the cab. Many incidents involving vulnerable road users, especially cyclists are due to the nearside blind spot.

Which Freight and Haulage Safety Products Do I Need?

Brigade’s safety solutions are suitable for most commercial vehicles and machines.
To help you select, we have created a series of guides featuring the safety products we recommend for the most common applications.

Select below to view the recommended Brigade products for each vehicle.

Problems With Freight and Haulage Vehicle Safety

Incidents and problems in the freight and haulage industry include:

  • Reversing accidents due to blind spots or pedestrians not seeing moving vehicle.
  • Reversing accidents at night due to reversing alarms being switched off
  • Collisions due to maneuvering in tight spaces
  • Sideswipes on motorway due to nearside blind spot
  • Cyclist collisions in urban areas due to nearside blind spots
  • False insurance claims for compensation

How Brigade Can Help With Freight and Haulage Vehicle Safety

Benefits include:

  • All-round visibility for safer, more efficient operation
  • Reduced accidents with other vehicles and vulnerable road users
  • Reduced vehicle downtime due to accidents
  • Reduced noise complaints and quieter night-time deliveries
  • Meet health and safety requirements
  • Strengthen companies reputation in the community

Case Study - Smiths & Sons (Bletchington) Ltd Specifies Brigade Electronics’ Products for Entire Fleet

Smiths & Sons (Bletchington) Ltd Specifies Brigade Electronics’ Products for Entire Fleet

Based in Oxfordshire, a city well known for its cyclist activity, Smiths & Sons has taken a proactive approach towards ensuring the safety of vulnerable road users. Concerned about driver information overload and encouraged by the introduction and industry acceptance of specifications such as CLOCS and FORS, Smiths’ has specified Brigade’s Backeye®360, Sidescan® systems and mobile digital recording devices for its entire tipper fleet going forward.

Smiths’ Transport Manager, Paul Needle explains, ‘In the past we have been actively involved in vehicle safety days around Oxford and we were also involved in the launch of the Mineral Product Associations’ cycle safety scheme. Smiths are very proactive when it comes to vulnerable road user safety and having trialled various vehicle camera systems, we were the first tipper operator to fit the Backeye®360 system ’.

Since fitting the systems Smiths & Sons has reported driver benefits, commenting in particular on the reduced information overload. Paul continues, ‘I was very impressed with Brigade’s product, the Backeye®360 in particular. The drivers immediately saw the benefits of the all-round view and the system has now been made a part of our standard specification for all new vehicles’.

Safety Solutions for Freight & Haulage

  • Backeye®360 is an intelligent four-camera system designed to eliminate vehicle blind spots and assist low-speed maneuverability by providing the driver with a complete 360° view of their machine in a single image.
  • Camera Monitor Systems can help eliminate vehicle blind spots to prevent collisions. Cameras are available to cover the rear, side and front blind spots as well as internal views and to monitor vehicle-specific functions. Multiple camera images can be viewed on a single in-cab monitor.
  • Warning Alarms are vital audible devices to warn pedestrians and workers that a vehicle is maneuvering. bbs-tek® alarms are the safest and yet quietest on the market due to their instantly locatable and directional sound. Options include smart alarms, which adjust to the ambient noise level and speaking alarms. bbs-tek® warning alarms are patented to Brigade.
  • Ultrasonic Obstacle Detection 2,3 or 4 sensor systems which inform the driver of distance between the vehicle and any obstacles, whether moving or stationary. Increases safety when low-speed maneuvering, reversing or in the near-side and front blind spots where pedestrians and cyclists can otherwise go undetected.
  • Mobile Digital Recording By simultaneously recording footage from up to eight vehicle-mounted cameras, a digital recorder can provide irrefutable evidence in the case of an incident. The lockable hard drive can store up to 1164 hours of data which can be easily accessed via a PC or uploaded via the 3G network or dedicated WiFi.