Fatigue management for long distance drivers is an integral part of the trucking industry’s safety procedures. As stated in the Code of Practice for Commercial Drivers used by the WA Government, drivers must be kept comfortable and securely restrained while resting especially on “two-up driving” where the truck is moving while one driver sleeps. Failure to do so can result in the driver not being able to rest sufficiently and may potentially cause fatigue related accidents. According to the NSW Government, fatigue is one of the top 3 causes of accidents on NSW roads. Accidents involving fatigue stricken drivers are also twice as likely to be fatal as drivers who fall asleep cannot brake.

One of the most important issues in achieving a comfortable sleep is the regulation of temperature in the truck cabin especially in hotter areas such as Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Good temperature management is vital for a good night’s sleep. Some drivers in their search for a remedy are forced to leave their engine idling to provide air conditioning from the driving compartment system while they sleep. Unfortunately, this remedy is dangerous and unsustainable, as it increases costs and produces unwanted pollutants. Studies carried out by the Environmental Defence Fund in the USA shows that idling time results in negative environmental, health and economic impacts. The study shows that vehicle idling in New York City alone emits 130,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, 940 tonnes of nitrogen oxides, and 6,400 tonnes of carbon monoxide annually.  In addition to this, idling costs New York 7 million gallons of gasoline and 5 million gallons of diesel annually by simply leaving the engine idling resulting in the US government issuing ant-idling laws to combat this waste.

Considering these circumstances, it is understandable that trucking companies, especially those with interstate operations, are opting to invest in the installation of air-conditioners in the sleeper cabin. Unfortunately, existing technology for sleeper cabs has produced unsatisfactory results or are too costly for the bottom line. Some products provide enough cooling but are too noisy to have a peaceful sleep with, while some systems consume too much energy which results in having to replace at least 4 batteries per truck each season. Some simply do not provide any cooling when faced with a high humidity environment. Its also important to note that the transport industry is very sensitive to downtimes and so heavy battery usage that could potentially deplete the battery energy of the truck is highly undesirable as this could cause trucks not to start.

While the aim of the air-conditioning system is to provide a means of controlling the cabin’s temperature, other issues such as noise, low operating costs and energy consumption are equally as important in creating reliable and comfortable sleeping conditions. The solution must therefore cover all aspects of reliable cooling: minimum noise operations, low energy consumption, minimum vibration, serviceability and lastly, it must also be cost efficient.

Our system, which, rather than providing cooling on demand, requiring the refrigeration unit to operate when energy is most scarce, instead stores thermal energy in advance when there is an abundance of power. This solves the issue of battery consumption and cooling. Noise and vibration are all but eliminated.

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For WA enquiries and customers, please contact:

Greg Byrne: 0417 883 137
Kevin Organ: 0408 416 015