Sensing the tension

By Colin Windell 

Incorrectly secured loads are a significant factor in damage to goods in transit and can even be direct contributors in crash situations.

Correctly securing truck loads is vital for safety

Sometimes the smallest and most innocuous of devices can play a massive role in improving safety and efficiency of operation – and BPW recently received a ‘Trailer Innovation Award 2019’ from a jury of 16 international trade journalists and experts from the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA).

“Innovation is when you can hear our customers’ tills ringing,’ says Dr Markus Kliffken, summing up the highest objective for BPW development.

As a member of the management board, he is responsible for innovation management at BPW and had the honour of collecting the trophy for the ‘iGurt’ intelligent cargo restraint system.

The ‘iGurt’ from BPW is a handy sensor that is threaded onto the lashing straps in next to no time. It measures the preload and displays this on the housing, on the driver’s smartphone and in the telematics portal.

This means the cargo restraints can be monitored at all times to ensure they are correct and this can be documented seamlessly. Damage caused by excessive tension can also be reliably avoided. This provides a great gain in safety: inadequate securing of loads causes around 20% to 25% of road accidents in heavy-duty transport.

Regulatory bodies in Europe find fault with more than 70% of inspected vehicles due to insufficient securing of loads. High penalties with costly and time-consuming re-securing and reloading work are the result, as well as high insurance costs.

The ‘iGurt’ results in lower staffing costs for dealing with accidents and it reduces insurance costs significantly.

Kliffken adds: “The iGurt is an innovation that targets the key cost drivers in the transport business and that will quickly pay off for vehicle operators. We are thrilled to receive this award as it helps us to raise awareness of our developments among a broad and international customer base.”