The transport industry often faces uncertainty with fluctuating petrol prices, rising motorway tolls and strict employment regulations. Faced with these difficulties, transportation companies are constantly looking for ways to reduce petrol consumption and improve the management of drivers’ time.
So, how can a portable actuator help resolve these issues?
The majority of transport lorries are required to cover their trailers to prevent goods falling out and causing an accident on the roads. Some will have electric powered shutter covers, others will have a shutter mechanism activated by the driver by hand, or it might be a more basic solution where the driver has to secure a tarpaulin cover with elastic bungee cords.
Similarly, many lorries have a tipping mechanism and/or a lowering section to facilitate loading and unloading. Lorries delivering grain or liquid products often have additionally an opening valve in the middle of the trailer floor for emptying the merchandise. Again, all of this extra functionality is operated either by a manual or motorised activating system.
The problem with the manual mechanisms is the loss of precious driver time – not to mention disgruntled drivers struggling to do everything in a rush.
The problem with electric powered mechanisms is that each function requires a separate motor, and each motor equals additional weight, so increasing petrol consumption.
There is a simple tool that can resolve all these problems. It’s called a portable actuator. The key is in the word portable – it can be stored in the lorry and used by the driver to power each of the different mechanical functions.
Our range includes compressed air, electric and fuel powered portable actuators, so you can choose whichever best suits your requirements. Easy-to-use and flexible (thanks to a range of adaptor heads), drivers simply fix the actuator to the valve that opens and closes the shutter cover, or the valve that lowers the trailer, or the valve that lowers the loading plank and the tool does the rest.
With a single portable actuator, you eliminate the need to install an individual motor for each function, thereby avoiding unnecessary extra weight. Also, drivers have a tool that operates all these additional functions for them - and does it 10 times faster than if they were doing it by hand!
A transport business in New Zealand was researching a motorised solution to operate the covers on its fleet of lorries. The operations manager wanted a pneumatic motor solution as there was a ready supply of compressed air produced by the lorries’ braking systems.
Building from modec’s modular range of portable actuators, the client found a pneumatic portable actuator that answered the company’s needs perfectly. He now regularly renews his order to ensure all his lorries are equipped.
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