Another one for the network!

There is a real shortage of places around the UK where hauliers can check their axle weights.

So it’s nice to announce the opening of the latest one at the Wellingborough Council Depot operated by Wellingborough Norse.

Situated at the Finedon Road Industrial Estate, the new installation is strategically situated for M1 / A14 traffic. The new axle weighbridge will incur a cost of just £15 to weigh a typical commercial vehicle. Opening hours are from 8.00am to 4.00pm.

Weighing is fast too, allowing a six-axle tractor and trailer combination to weigh in just 40-seconds and to obtain individual axle and a gross vehicle weight to an accuracy of +/- 0.25% - the most accurate dynamic weighbridge in the world. The driver simply drives over the flush mounted platform at a constant speed of 2.5 mph before obtaining instant weight figures from a digital read-out.

Wellingborough Norse has also had its new Axtec dynamic weighbridge certified by Northamptonshire Trading Standards, making it available not only for public use, but also for DVSA and for other authorities to carry out inspections.

New Public Axle Weighbridge inWellingborough

This is the first publicly available axle weighing facility in Northamptonshire and the surrounding region, and will provide local hauliers and other transport companies with a fast, cost-effective and highly accurate method of checking their vehicles for correct axle weight distribution.

The Wellingborough, Kettering, Northampton intersection sees a high volume of freight traffic and is a popular region for transport companies to base their ‘hub’ operations.

So the availability of a new, dedicated and highly flexible dynamic weighbridge will be of huge appeal to hauliers, potentially saving them hundreds of thousands of pounds

Want to know more about the Wellingborough Norse site? Get in touch and we’ll give you all the details.

Don't just take our word for it!

In this blog we’ve made numerous mentions of how important it is not to overload your van. But we’re not the only ones that think so.

The FTA do as well and this week produced an article with their thoughts on the subject.

We frequently run a 3.5t vehicle at maximum weight to test out new software so we have first hand knowledge of how a heavily laden vehicle handles. And our drivers, some of them qualified Class 1 HGV drivers incidentally, report that they frequently feel unsafe driving the vehicle with that much weight on even though it is legally loaded.

Overloading  a van affects so many of the major components of the vehicle that it is hardly surprising it would feel unstable, handle poorly and could be extremely dangerous.

An accident involving an overloaded van could also conceivably invalidate any insurance. And make any new insurance difficult, and expensive, to obtain.

Many professional van operators have invested in axle weighing systems, either a permanent installation, portable or onboard.

Axtec OnBoard Protecting Against Van Overloads

A permanent system is ideal if the van is leaving the yard loaded and coming back empty. Drivers can check their axle and gross weights without leaving the cab in most cases.

Portable weighpads are ideal for infrequent weighing and spot checks but do have limitations and advice should be sort before buying them for regular high throughput use. Maybe even try a set out?

The most frequently specified system, and the best option for vehicles on multi-drop work, is the Axtec OnBoard Load Indicator.

With a simple monitor showing axle and gross weights in colour, green for legal, amber for approaching maximum and flashing red for an overload, the driver gets a clear indication of how heavy his van is.

No manual controls, so the driver can’t change any of the settings or be in the wrong mode and a unique customer calibration facility so no expensive routine service visits are needed.

With modern technology, overloading a van can be easily avoided.