O.K. TRANS PRAHA presented a unique system for the transportation of tyres for which it holds a certificate.
This March, the company from the Central Bohemian municipality of Chýně introduced the first semi-trailers and high-capacity articulated lorries with bodies and trailers from Fliegl mounted on DAF chassis, which meet the strictest standards for the transportation of floor-loaded tyres. They have been adapted in such a way that tyres do not move around in them, and above all, they don’t stretch the tarpaulin and overhang the vehicle when it tilts turning corners.
Representatives of O.K. Trans participated in the development of these trailer bodies, semi-trailers and trailers together with specialists from the German companies Continental and Fliegl. Each of the companies invested its knowhow and experience in the field of tyre transportation in the project.
“We registered the first impulse to change the system of tyre transportation in the first half of 2012 during negotiations with representatives of Continental, who specified new requirements for safe tyre transportation,” says Václav Svoboda, Sales and Marketing Manager at O.K. Trans Praha, explaining the creation of the unique articulated lorries. “Yes, we did encounter problems from time to time in the past. The German police are particularly strict and if they discovered an articulated lorry in which the tyres were stretching the tarpaulin, they didn’t let it continue on its way. Apart from high fines, we had to get a new lorry to the location to reload the tyres, which was economically very costly,” says Svoboda, describing the situation.
During the months of development of the new safety system, engineers from O.K. Trans also visited the IAA trade fair in the German city of Hannover. “We looked at trailers from two companies which had certificates, but neither suited our requirements. They were too complicated and from our point of view not wholly functional. That’s why we decided to go our own way and devised a simpler yet safe system together with Fliegl. In addition, our system has been adapted to suit the requirements of drivers so that they are able to operate it easily,” adds Svoboda.
The new safety system consists of the denser utilisation of longitudinal aluminium slats, onto which self-supporting poles are hung, connected using a “web” of ropes. Apart from rows by the side panels, tyres are stacked using a specific loading system.
During load testing, O.K. Trans loaded a new articulated lorry with the unique system for securing tyres in Otrokovice and sent it off to Germany. “We left it with workers at the renowned Dekra testing centre for a week. They drove it around their test track. After a week of testing, Dekra declared that the proposed solution was satisfactory and complied with required regulations. On the basis of this, they issued a certificate to Fliegl confirming that this semi-trailer and trailer technology was approved for the safe transportation of floor-loaded tyres. This is very important for our partners. It lets them know that we want to provide the very best service and are constantly looking for innovations with a view to safety,” says Václav Svoboda, Sales and Marketing Manager at O.K. Trans Praha, in conclusion.
