Bapong, North West Province, April 24: The recent FleetWatch Brake & Tyre Watch training event held in North West province aimed at educating traffic officials on critical heavy commercial vehicle faults in an effort to improve road safety for everyone was a resounding success.
Over the two days, 63 traffic officials from Brits, Rustenburg, Bapong, Lichtenburg, Koster, Ventersdorp and Potchefstroom received comprehensive training on brakes, tyres, fifth wheels, lights, and more. Day one was theory training at the Omaramba Conference Centre followed by hands-on practical training on day two at the Bapong Weighbridge and testing centre on the N4.
On the second day, traffic officials were split into five teams each led by an expert team leader to undergo training covering aspects such as visual inspections, tyres, fifth wheels, brakes, brake roller tests, and pit inspections. The event also showcased a demonstration of a well-maintained truck, thanks to our manufacturer partner for this event, Babcock International Group.
By the end of the training, six heavy commercial vehicles were inspected, with five failing due to a combination of critical faults such as poor or non-existing braking on trailer axles, brake boosters mismatched, ABS not working, fifth wheel faults, faulty conspicuity tape, damaged tyres.
This FleetWatch initiative is made possible through the participation of partners in the industry which include Bridgestone, ZF Commercial Vehicle Distribution South Africa (WABCO), BPW Axles, MiX Telematics, Orafol, Standard Bank, JC Auditors, TSE Big Max, Imperial Logistics, and AccidentSpecialist whose dedicated and knowledgeable support made the event possible. Babcock International Group was the manufacturer partner for this event.
Johan Esterhuizen, Control Provincial Inspector from the Bapong, expressed his gratitude for the training, stating, “Once again thank you very much for a very appropriate training provided. The extent of professionalism is very well acknowledged and appreciated.”
Dean Temlett, General Manager – Babcock International Group said: “An excellent two days with some eye-opening insights into the condition of rigs on the roads we share. There are so many takeaways and important areas to focus on to make transport in South Africa safer for all. With an average of 43 road deaths per day in South Africa, we really are in the “saving lives” business more than we realise! A massive thanks to FleetWatch, the other sponsors and North West traffic department for a fantastic and well-spent two days”
Commenting on the project, Patrick O’Leary, managing editor of FleetWatch truck magazine says: “It takes a team to make the change we are all looking for and if only one life is saved as a result of all this effort, it makes it worthwhile.”
