A NEW free pocket guide developed by the Grain Transport Safety Network (GTSN) has distilled the complex considerations surrounding grain truck mass limits and delivered them into an easy to read document.
The GTSN, set up to improve safety in moving grain from the paddock to bulk handling sites or port, hopes the book will help truck drivers load the correct tonnage and by extension reduced the risk of overloaded vehicles on the road.
While seemingly a simple exercise to outsiders, loading trucks correctly requires significant skill from operators to identify the right requirements for the vehicle in question.
The guide has been designed to help loaders and unloaders, transport operators and drivers to accurately identify the mass requirements applying to bulk grain trucks.
Derek Robjohns, logistics and supply chain manager at Viterra and chair of the GTSN, said the book represented a great win for the grain transport industry.
"The Truck Book is a tremendous effort by all GTSN members and will be a great tool for the industry".
It was developed in conjunction with the leading bulk handlers and processors in the business including Emerald Grain, GrainCorp, Viterra, Ridley, Cargill, Quattro Ports and flour millers Mauri; with the support of Supply Chain Safety Excellence.
It is an exhaustive document, featuring 84 different truck types plus a wealth of technical information to guide users.
The book can be downloaded at www.gtsn.com.au.