Step 1 - Case Studies
Company A: Furniture removalist
Company A's normal day-to-day operation involves carrying small loads of furniture which come in a range of shapes and sizes. Goods need to be transported securely and arrive undamaged to customers. A team of 2 people normally make deliveries.
The Load: Furniture items are generally bulky but not particularly heavy, so the truck rarely carries more than 1 or 2 tonnes of furniture.
The Roads: The company is based in the city but serves customers across a wide area, which means plenty of travelling is done on freeways and toll roads.
Truck needs: Based on the above the truck requirements should account for :
- Need for secure transport and for goods to arrive undamaged—box body
- Bulky goods where size is more of an issue than weight—longer wheelbase vehicle with large load volume but GVM of between 4.5 and 5.5 tonnes
- Travel over large urban area—engine should be able to comfortably maintain speeds of 80 km/h
- Two-man delivery team—no special cab requirements
Company B: Landscaping business
Company B is a landscaping business and transports many different loads, including aggregate (e.g. sand), building materials (e.g. timber and bricks) and bulky mechanical equipment (e.g. diggers and loaders). Jobs can be quite large—3 or 4 team members are often used on a single job.
The Load: Any loads of aggregate over 2 tonnes are delivered to building sites by separate vehicles, so the heaviest item carried will be the loader which weighs approximately 3 tonnes. Load security is generally not an issue.
The Roads: Most customers are located in a handful of suburbs within a short distance from the depot.
Truck needs: Based on the above the truck requirements should account for:
- Transport of aggregates—tipper body with hinged-tray sides
- Occasional transport of loader—max GVM of between 5.5 and 6.5 tonnes, body should be made of strong material so that loads can be properly restrained
- Most travel on local suburban roads—engine should be able to maintain speeds of 50-60km/h
- Teams or 3 or 4 staff working on jobs—crew cab
Company C: Food distributor
Company C is a beverage distributor making most of its deliveries into distribution centres. Loads do not require refrigeration.
The Load: Loads vary in weight, but volume is less of an issue as trucks tend to ‘weigh out’ before they ‘cube out’. Total loads usually average between six and eight pallets, but can get bigger particularly around peak periods of the year such as Christmas.
The Roads: Customers are spread across a wide area so vehicles travel for long stretches between deliveries and spend a lot of time on freeways and toll roads.
Truck needs: Based on the above the truck requirements should account for:
- Transport of pallets—curtain-sider body for easy loading and unloading
- No more than 12 pallets carried for 85% of trips—required load length of approximately 7-8m, max GVM of between 8.5 and 10.5 tonnes
- Most travel will be on high speed road- engine should be able to maintain speeds of 100 km/h