October 2017 Newsletter
Dear IFRTT subscriber The Performance-based standards (PBS) pilot project officially started in South Africa in Nov 2007 with the commissioning of two PBS timber vehicles. In June this year the number of PBS vehicle kms reached 100 million with 245 PBS vehicles participating in the pilot project. Most of these vehicles range in overall length from 19 to 30 m with combination masses ranging from 57 to 82 tonnes. There are also a number of 42 m PBS road trains with a combination mass of 185 tonnes operating in remote areas or within mines. Commodities being transported include timber, chrome and platinum ore, coal, fuel, sugar, sugar cane, aluminium ingots, beer, paper reels, containers and passengers (bi-articulated buses). A report on the PBS pilot project to date is currently being compiled to evaluate the benefits and challenges of adopting a PBS approach for heavy vehicle design and operations in South... Read More