Recycling and reprocessing business Timberpak is fitting Wheely-Safe technology across its fleet of trucks and trailers to improve the efficiency and safety of its operations.
The business is equipping its vehicles with the in-motion wheel loss detection system, which combines brake and hub temperature monitoring with an intelligent tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), following a successful trial.
Gordon Argo, Transport and Operations Manager at Timberpak, says: “We had it running on one vehicle to begin with and were very impressed. This is the only technology I’ve come across that offers the complete package, in terms of alerting you to any issues with the wheel nuts, the tyre pressures and the temperature in the hub. It’s very easy to use too.”
Timberpak’s busy fleet of tractor units, trailers and hookloader rigids are often working on rough terrain, collecting wood and returning it to its processing sites to recycle into chipboard for sister company EGGER UK.
“It’s a line of work susceptible to tyre punctures and damage,” adds Argo. “A key selling point for us though was the wheel loss element of the technology. Not so long ago, we had an issue where one of our wheels had been over-torqued by a technician and we came very close to losing that wheel, which as a transport operator is something you never want to experience.
“Having this protection across the fleet now gives us huge peace of mind, as well as bringing the added benefits in terms of fuel efficiency and cost-saving by having the tyres running at optimal pressures.”
The easy-to-use technology sees Wheely-Safe’s external TPMS sensors, which auto-pair with an in-cab solar receiver, replace the standard valve caps. These are fitted alongside a pair of wheel loss sensors and brackets on each wheel which transmit an in-motion alert to the receiver in the cab, should the wheel nuts start to loosen. The same sensor also monitors heat and can quickly identify a temperature abnormality from the brakes or hub.
Timberpak currently has the system working on 12 vehicles and will continue the roll-out across the remainder of its 23-strong fleet as trucks and trailers are replaced.
Operating from four recycling sites in Washington, Leeds, St Albans and Bellshill, Timberpak has sourced waste wood for the EGGER UK’s chipboard production for more than 20 years.
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Notes to editor:
Wheely-Safe is an automotive technology business founded in 2010 by two lifelong friends – Gary Thomas, a Director of his own transport compliance consultancy, and Gary Broadfield, a Director of Technology and serial inventor for a large Japanese electronics manufacturer. Together they brought the marriage of skills required to help solve wheel loss issues in the automotive sector, and to tackle the huge number of vehicles driving every day on under-inflated tyres. The early years of Wheely-Safe concentrated on attaining worldwide patent protection and technology small enough to fit near the wheels of all vehicle types, from cars and vans to trucks and trailers – with its first products launched into the market during 2018, and a second generation following in 2022. For more information please visit: www.wheely-safe.com
For further press information please contact:
Dan Jones or James Keeler at Garnett Keeler PR on 020 8647 4467 or by email to dan.jones@garnettkeeler.com / james.keeler@garnettkeeler.com
To access Wheely-Safe’s online newsroom please visit https://www.gk.news/wheelysafe
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