Ultimate safety for cargo trucks

Growing land-based trade within the EU is a blessing for the bloc's economy but can pose increasing safety threats if cargo on heavy goods vehicles isn't properly secured. The EU-funded TRUCK-SAFE (Development of an automated system for safely securing cargo on haulage trucks using high tensile multi-layer fabric) project is taking on the challenge. It is aiming to avoid dozens of deaths per year and billions of euros in losses that result from improperly secured land cargo being transported within the EU.

In this context, the project team is perfecting a revolutionary automatic tensioning device with sensors to secure truck cargo and reduce lashing times by as much as an hour. It is developing more durable and resistant cargo-securing textile, combining it with a fully automated self-ratcheting system that automatically pulls the fabric in place. In addition, the new system boasts on-board alarms that quickly adjust load stress and alert the driver if tension on the cargo or on the securing straps is reduced.

Already, the TRUCK-SAFE system was integrated into a demonstration trailer at the IAA Commercial Vehicle fair 2014 in Hannover, Germany. It was then nominated for the Trailer Innovation 2015 competition in the Safety category, with plans to demonstrate it during the next IAA in Hannover (autumn 2015). With this in mind, the project team is targeting a 3 % market penetration rate of the 330 000 cargo trucks expected to be in circulation.

The European road freight sector could benefit considerably from the technology, keeping in mind that there are 600 000 companies in the sector, mostly small and medium-sized enterprises. Beyond increased safety, the benefits from widespread use of this novel technology include reduced health insurance costs in the industry. The long-term effect on land-based trade in Europe is likely to be a positive one indeed.