Vision Techniques have approval for STOPSAFE from the VCA

Vision Techniques have recently announced that after a long period of development and consultation with the VCA, their emergency vehicle braking system STOPSAFE has received accreditation. 

Effectively the system reduces the vehicle’s speed while simultaneously bringing it to a controlled stop using the braking system.

The system is activated using a secure emergency lever installed to the vehicle dashboard, allowing the crew to react to an emergency situation should the driver become incapacitated.

The system was developed after an incident in Glasgow in 2014 saw a driver lose consciousness while at the wheel of a moving refuse lorry, tragically resulting in six deaths and leaving 15 people injured.

Working together with a number of councils, Private Waste companies and the VCA we have designed STOPSAFE to eradicate the risk of this type of incident

Steve Hurd MD of vehicle safety supplier Vision Techniques said: “We were all extremely shocked by the events in Glasgow and we set our technical team with the objective of preventing a tragedy like this from happening again.

“Working together with a number of councils, Private Waste companies and the VCA we have designed STOPSAFE to eradicate the risk of this type of incident should it re-occur in the municipal industry or any other crewed vehicle.”

Steve added: “We are aware that other products have been developed but so far, they have all failed to get approval. We are the only manufacturer to get accreditation from the VCA, something we are very proud of.

JCB fleet app aims to “save time and money”

JCB is taking innovation to revolutionary new levels with the launch of two technology products which enable fleet owners and machine operators in the waste and recycling sectors reduce downtime, increase revenue and improve safety.

Developed in collaboration with major hire companies, fleet managers and owner operators, the JCB Operator app and LiveLink Fleet website portal use technology to overcome a host of waste processing site issues – all at the click of a button.

The JCB Operator app has been developed to combat common issues by:

• Making the pre-start machine check process electronic – replacing paper-based checks which can often be lost, damaged or incorrectly filled in
• Allowing operators to add comments or images to safety checks
• Providing useful documents such as quick start guides.
• The LiveLink Fleet website portal also now enables customers to monitor all brands of machines in one place.

Working in tandem with the JCB Operator app it also enables them to:

• Capture a real-time overview of a complete fleet
• Collate all machine pre-start checks electronically, manage servicing and immediately deal with critical health alerts – reducing machine downtime
• Quickly monitor top line data such as fuel consumption, faults and machine idle time to improve profitability
• Link to a variety of complementary JCB systems through a single login.

Select Environmental Services chooses Norba N4 for commercial waste fleet

Commercial waste management specialist Select Environmental Services has taken delivery of a brand-new Norba N4 refuse collection vehicle from Geesinknorba to add to its 30-strong fleet operating throughout the Thames Valley.

The N4 rear loader is the latest product development from Geesinknorba, drawing on the company’s design expertise to create a more streamlined, lightweight, and fuel-efficient vehicle to meet the needs of today’s waste and recycling collections.

It is particularly well suited for use in urban areas, making it the ideal choice for Select Environmental Services, who will put the vehicle to work collecting commercial waste and recycling from businesses in and around Reading.

Driver training is imperative, and it’s not just about ticking the health and safety box

The vehicle goes into service at the beginning of May following driver training provided by both Geesinknorba and Mercedes dealer Rygor Commercials. ‘Driver training is imperative, and it’s not just about ticking the health and safety box,’ says Philip. ‘We’ve found that by providing one-to-one product training our drivers come away feeling empowered and have a greater appreciation of the enhanced capabilities of the vehicle.’

The vehicle is fitted with dynamic container weighing and identification technology from c-trace, which enables Select to offer both volume and weight-based charging. It also features a 360-degree camera recording system.

New, powerful shredders “complete the family”

Metso Waste Recycling expands its product line and is launching two new pre-shredders – the K-series.

The new machines are targeted at production sites with waste treatment needs in the 5 – 45 t/h range.

There are many such sites and the market – especially in Asia – is only expected to continue growing in the years to come, the company says.

Morten Kiil Rasmussen, Commercial Director, Metso Waste Recycling, said: “The new machines complements our range of shredders, so we can now cater for much wider capacity requirements.

“These are actually machines our clients have requested, so we are convinced that they will be well received.

“The favourable price performance ratio will also expedite sales to the Asian market, where there is huge demands for reliable, pre-shredders with a capacity range between 5 – 45 t/h.”