Archive

Posts Tagged ‘VOSA’

MOT Brake Decelerometer Calibration

February 22nd, 2023 Comments off

MOT BIG NEWS!! Decelerometer calibration and the calibration of roller brake testers (RBT), plate brake testers (PBT) and headlamp aim testers are now 12 Monthly!! DVSA confirms changes to MOT calibration requirements From April, all decelerometers must be calibrated at intervals not exceeding one year!

Order a MOT Brake meter recalibration here

Review the Tapley Brake Meter for MOT here

Also the BrakeCheck For MOT here

Contact aide automotive on 0115 8456471 or info@aideautomotive.com Our product range – HGV Brake Testers – Trailer EBS Testers – HGV Truck Trailer EBS / ABS Sensor Tester – Truck /Trailer Diagnostic Tools – Midtronics Battery Testers – Anti Siphon Devices – ISOCheck – Trailer Locks – Auto Braking Reversing System – HGV Diesel Tank Alarms – HGV Siphon  – Misfuelling Diesel Head – Truck Susie Coil Covers – #MOT #Calibration – Plus More

www.aideautomotive.com

Decelerometer calibration and the calibration of roller brake testers (RBT), plate brake testers (PBT) and headlamp aim testers are now 12 Monthly
MOT Decelerometer 12 month calibration

HGV Trailer Management With the aide automotive Trailer Lock

April 26th, 2022 Comments off

HGV Trailer Management With the aide automotive Trailer Lock For Stuart Nicol Transport Limited Of Shotts / Scotland.

Great to deal with Leanne Patterson and conclude this deal for 12 VOR Trailer HGV Locks.

A Trailer VOR Lock is easy to operate and install, a Trailer VOR Lock provides a quick, clean method to protect VOR trailers from being moved or returned to road duty.

Trailer VOR Lock, also known as Trailer Red Line locks provide a very simple and cost effect deterrent against opportunistic theft.

aide automotive on 0115 8456471 or info@aideautomotive.com Our product range – HGV Brake Testers – Caliper Pot Tester – Trailer EBS Testers – HGV Truck Trailer EBS / ABS Sensor Tester – Truck /Trailer Diagnostic Tools – Midtronics Battery Testers – Anti Siphon Devices – ISOCheck – Trailer Locks – Auto Braking Reversing System – HGV Diesel Tank Alarms – Plus More

Transport Company Move to Manage Trailer Fleet with aide automotive’s VOR Lock

HGV Air / Electrical (Susie) Coil Covers / Sock

July 26th, 2021 Comments off

Easy Purchases Of The HGV Air / Electrical Coil Covers @ aide auto’s Website
Use PayPal – Just Scan the Code to Pay!!

Choose from Yellow

These covers are a quick and easy fit to a Trucks Coiled Susie Cables, Air Cables & the ISO Susie.

A Weather proof & protective sleeve, this “Sock” will protect the Air / Electrical Hoses.

Contact aide automotive 0115 8456471 Our product range – #Brake#Testers – #Trailer Testers – #EBS/ABS Sensor Tester – #Diagnostic Tools – #Midtronics#Battery Testers – Anti Siphon Devices – ISOCheck – Trailer Locks – Auto #Braking Reversing System – #HGV#Diesel Tank #Alarms – Plus More

#trailers#logistics#transportation#trucking#freight#fleetmanagement#fleetmaintenance#freight#transportation#logistics#supplychain#Volvo

HGV Brake Testing Using A Decelerometer

December 5th, 2019 Comments off

HGV Brake Testing – As Per The DVSA

As you have purchased or are a user of a decelerometer, detailed below is the status of required testing of HGV’s as taken from the DVSA’s “Guide to maintaining roadworthiness” November 2018.

As within the industry we at aide automotive hear varied opinions of what is required when brake testing commercial vehicles, we have detailed the requirement as per the DVSA’s guidance.

No 1 – The current law could still be the fact that ONE annual MOT roller brake test (RBT) is the requirement.

No 2 – As the Health & Safety standards of the UK are of a high standard, duty of care laws could leave an operator open to the fact that high risk practices requires more testing.

No 3 – The DVSA’s “Guide To Maintaining Roadworthiness” should be used as the bench mark for all maintenance standards and be the minimum best practice.

So what does the Guide (For Brake Testing) say?

Safety inspection facilities
Facilities should include: • undercover accommodation for the largest vehicle in the fleet. This is required to ensure that safety checks can be conducted satisfactorily in all weathers (depending on fleet size the building may need room for more than one vehicle at a time) • tools and equipment appropriate to the size and nature of the fleet – access to brake test equipment (eg a roller brake tester, decelerometer)

As per the annual test, every safety inspection must assess the braking performance of the vehicle or trailer. It is STONGLY ADVISED that a calibrated roller brake tester (RBT) is used at each safety inspection to measure individual brake performance and overall braking efficiencies for the vehicle or trailer to the annual test standards. However, it is also acceptable to use an approved and calibrated decelerometer to measure overall brake efficiency values for vehicles without trailers.

Brake testing should be undertaken with the vehicle or trailer in a laden condition in order to achieve the most meaningful results; however, due to basic design limitations or restriction caused by the type of cargo normally carried, this is sometimes not possible

A printout of the brake efficiency test from either the RBT or decelerometer should be attached to the safety inspection record. If the brake test equipment cannot produce a printout, efficiency results must be recorded by the inspector on the safety inspection report. To help operators arrange a brake performance assessment with safety inspections, it is acceptable for a satisfactory brake performance assessment to be carried out within the same week of the planned safety inspection. Brake efficiency testing can be carried out by either an approved RBT or decelerometer test.

The conclusion! An O Licence operator should carry out a brake test on every inspection (to meet the DVSA guidance as above, although further detailed text does state “it is therefore normally expected that the vehicle or trailer should complete at least three successful brake efficiency tests spread throughout the year in addition to the annual MOT test), this can be achieved using an RBT or Decelerometer, the test should be printed out and attached to the safety inspection sheet. With regard to decelerometer tests, if the user decided to carry out the test laden, he/she should write on the printout as so: Laden / Un Laden.

If you are unsure about any of the above text or details, please do not hesitate to contact aide automotive.

Purchasing a Bowmonk BrakeCheck could not be any easier, just click on Purchase A BrakeCheck to review prices and buy!

Brake Efficiency Tester

Brake Tester Using Brake Efficiency to Report On Truck Brakes

HGV Brake Testing, Why A Pass Is Not A Pass!

November 19th, 2019 No comments

Operators need to scrutinise and interpret the results of roller brake-testing, and not just rely on seeing the word ‘pass’ on the bottom line of the generated report.

That was a key message from the first of this year’s FTA Transport Manager conferences, which was held at the Haynes Motor Museum in Somerset.

Western area traffic commissioner Kevin Rooney provided the keynote address for the conference, and explained that roller brake testing had been used in the industry for at least 50 years, but was not the be-all and end-all of assessing brake condition.

While the annual test focussed on performance, he pointed out that the Construction & Use Regulations (C&U) which every vehicle had to conform to every day it was on the road were actually stricter. C&U stipulated that every part of the braking system had to be in “good and efficient order”.

“This means it must be to the manufacturer’s standard,” he said. ”A detailed brake test needs to cover every part of the system.

“But unladen testing is meaningless.” He showed the results for a Volvo tractor unit that had been tested unladen. It had passed the test in terms of service brake performance, but the brake on the second axle had locked up having generated only 650 kg of braking force, as there was insufficient weight on the wheels.

“This is not representative,” he said. “During heavy braking, most of the trailer weight will transfer to the tractor, so testing things empty is a waste of time.”

Reputable testers either use loading-beams to transfer force onto the vehicle to simulate a load, or used water-filled intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) or similar to create one.

“Roller testing an unladen vehicle nullifies the inspection,” he warned.

Later in the conference, Phil Lloyd, head of engineering and vehicle standards at FTA (pictured, right), added more detail.

“Operators take false comfort from the word ‘pass’ at the foot of a brake test report,” he said. “It’s a piece of evidence that says everything is alright when really it isn’t.”

Operators were normally required to put every vehicle and trailer through four equally-spaced brake tests, one of which could be the annual test, every 12 months.

“Annual tests and periodic maintenance inspections both have the same objective: making sure the vehicle is in safe, roadworthy condition.”

He warned operators that every line of the printed paper report generated by the brake test should be scrutinised, starting at the top.

“Look for the DTp number at the top of the report. This identifies the vehicle, its specified brake performance, and plated weight. Check it against the number on the vehicle’s plating certificate. If this number is wrong, then the report is worthless.”

It was necessary to understand how the brake tester worked if the results it generated were to be understood. Vehicles were tested one axle at a time, and each wheel was positioned in a pit which contained two driving rollers coated in a high grip material to drive the wheel, and a single sensing roller between and beneath them which sensed the wheel’s rotation.

The wheel was rotated by the driving rollers, with the tyre driving the sensing roller beneath. During the brake test itself, the brake is strongly applied to create resistance between the tyre and the driving rollers, and the sensing roller measures the amount of resistance being offered by the brake in kg force.

Overall brake efficiency is calculated by adding the braking force generated by each wheel and dividing the total by the weight of the vehicle (GVW for rigids, GTW for tractors and TAW for trailers). The resultant figure is then multiplied by 100 to give a percentage efficiency.

However, this calculation can only be meaningful if there is a reasonable force acting on the tested axle to maintain traction between tyres and driving rollers. Each axle should be loaded to between 50 and 65 per cent of its design weight, and the brake tester will measure this.

However, if the axle is not sufficiently laden, then grip will be lost and the wheel locked before maximum efficiency is recorded. The system will record a wheel lock as a pass, but the report will give no indication of the brakes’ actual efficiency.

Mr Lloyd cautions: “If you want a meaningless brake test, put the truck on the rollers unladen and bang the brakes on; if the brakes lock up, then you’ve passed!”

He pointed out other deficiencies with the brake test.

Drum ovality (or rotor run-out in the case of discs) was only tested on the front axle. The test rig picked up variations in braking effort as the wheels rotated slowly with the brakes only marginally applied.

Wheels were each tested individually, but the effort generated on each side of a single axle could show an imbalance of up to 30 per cent and still pass.

“There is a potential issue with steering control under braking at this point,” he said. “It should at least be an advisory.”

He urged operators to take advantage of the data generated by the electronic brake performance monitoring systems fitted on most new trailers.

“It gives an indication of brake performance in real-time and can also indicate braking problems with the towing vehicle,” he said.

More details are contained in the Brake Test Report, published by the FTA last month, and given to each delegate at the conference.

Brian Beacon, director of roller brake testing equipment specialist VL Test Systems (VLT), commented: “VLT always carry out full in-depth training when installing our brake testers, covering the full printout and explanations for each section.

“Our recommendation is that the vehicle/trailer is loaded to 65 per cent minimum for a meaningful test, and if it is not then a warning is shown on the screen and the printout stating ‘insufficient load on axle’.

“We are aware of items that could be improved but to gain DVSA approval for the equipment in automatic mode, we have to follow DVSA rules setting out the full test as it is at present, including the ‘locks rule’.”

He added: “All our brake testers also have different modes whereby the tester can carry out full checks on each wheel or axle including individual brake force, bind, ovality, imbalance etc – and even draw graphs to visually compare these figures.

aide automotive offer the simple tool of a Infra Red Gun for Truck & Trailer Brake Checks.

DVSA Guidance states The Use Of a Temperature Tool Is Good Practice For Commercial Vehicle Maintenance Routines. Extract From Guide to maintaining roadworthiness (11.2018) “The use of brake temperature measurement can improve the effectiveness of a road test and is an established method to assess if individual brakes are operational. Brake disc/drum temperature readings should be compared across an axle after a laden road test or by in-service monitoring, using a brake temperature sensor, which can be a simple handheld device or using a more sophisticated remote monitoring system. Brake temperature readings would need to be well above ambient temperature with relatively consistent readings taken for each brake across an axle. Brakes which are cold (ambient temperature) or showing an inconsistent reading from the brake on the opposite side on the same axle, should be investigated further.” Simple & Hand Held !

Buy A Temperature Gun From aide automotive For Just £15.95 + post & VAT! Buy Online https://bit.ly/33kRGAw

DVSA Brake Tests

HGV Brake Checks With A Temp Gun

DVSA Suggests More HGV Brake Tests ??

September 11th, 2019 Comments off

aide automotive explains why its portable Bowmonk BrakeCheck solution is a viable alternative to roller brake testers when carrying out a non-MOT brake test.
Regular brake tests are currently being requested by the DVSA on all commercial vehicles of 7.5 tonne and over, as part of an interim safety inspection. At the absolute minimum, the agency is asking for a quarterly voluntary brake test to be carried out in addition to the annual MOT test.

Fortunately, most commercial operators have taken heed of this request and are having their brakes checked more frequently, as it is a means of monitoring braking efficiency more closely. However, in some cases, it would appear that this frequency of testing is still not enough, as the level of deterioration is a cause for concern.

In most cases, the DVSA would prefer this test to be carried out as part of the six-weekly inspection. This would have thebenefit of highlighting a decrease in braking performance considerably sooner than those performed once every three months, and in doing so, afford more effective preventative maintenance opportunities.

Evidently, there are a great number of commercial workshops who are still of the misconception that all of the aforementioned brake tests have to be performed on a roller brake tester. This is not the case! The Traffic Commission has allowed the use of a DVSA-approved brake tester, like Bowmonk’s BrakeCheck, for all non-MOT brake tests.

Aside from the mandatory requirements, there is also the upsell opportunity. Workshops providing a brake overhaul service, where components are in need of replacement, can offer a ‘before and after’ brake test report; an opportunity to show their customers the level of efficiency achieved prior to and following any necessary repair work.

A user guide to BrakeCheck

Position the BrakeCheck unit on a level surface, such as the passenger side foot well. Switch the unit on by pressing and holding the ‘Menu’ button until ‘Sbr’ appears in the display.
Confirm Service Brake choice by pressing ‘Enter’.
When the unit is level enough to start the test, a symbol (pictured left) will be shown on the display. Once the symbol is displayed, press ‘Enter’.
The unit is now ready for the test. When the test area is clear, accelerate the vehicle to an appropriate test speed (e.g. 20 mph).
Once the vehicle is travelling at an appropriate test speed, check for traffic approaching from behind. If safe to do so, apply the footbrake as a controlled emergency stop, without skidding.
Once the vehicle has been brought to a complete stop, the unit will generate and display a braking efficiency value.
Once the Service Brake test is complete, change to Hand Brake mode by pressing the ‘Menu’ button (so that the hand brake test LED is illuminated). As before, confirm this choice by pressing ‘Enter’, which will take you to the levelling display. Press ‘Enter’ when the level indicator is shown.
As before, accelerate the vehicle to the test speed, this time applying the hand brake to stop the vehicle. Note: please check with your vehicle manufacturer if this type of procedure is acceptable.
Once the vehicle has come to a complete stop, the display will show the braking efficiency of the hand brake.
To view the service brake test report, press the ‘Menu’ button until the last test result and service brake test LEDs are illuminated. Then press ‘Enter’ to display the result, which can now be printed using the optional wireless printer.
With the BrakeCheck unit positioned approximately 2 to 3cm in front of the infra-red printer, switch on the printer and press the ‘Print’ button on the BrakeCheck to print the test result.
To view or print the hand brake test, carry out the same procedure, but use the ‘Menu’ button to illuminate the hand brake test and last test result LEDs.

Buy Online Bowmonk BrakeCheck Decelerometer

HGV Brake Tester

Buy Online Bowmonk BrakeCheck Decelerometer

Commercial Vehicle Brake Testing Up To Standard?

May 18th, 2018 Comments off

Brake performance testing should be a key part of your maintenance

The Governments Moving On Blog recently posted the below press.
Brake performance testing should be a key part of your maintenance regime that needs to happen at every safety inspection.
And, if you find any braking performance problems while the vehicle or trailer is in use, you’ll need to get a measured brake efficiency test before you use the vehicle again.
For most of you, this is standard practice and shows that you’re committed to running your fleet compliantly and protecting other road users.
Tragic consequences
But unfortunately some licence holders don’t meet the minimum standards and the consequences can be devastating.
In 2015, DVSA examiners investigated a road traffic incident involving a 32-tonne tipper vehicle. Four people, including a four-year-old girl, were killed when the vehicle’s brakes failed on a steep hill.
Our investigation found the operator’s brake testing was far below the required standards. The company’s approach to brake testing was nowhere near thorough enough, and on 5 out of 13 safety inspection records, the brake test section had been left blank.
In the other records, the comments were too limited for anyone to understand what they meant.
Successful court convictions
Two individuals from the company were each convicted of four counts of manslaughter at Bristol Crown Court.
The company director was sentenced to 7 years and 6 months in prison and the mechanic was sentenced to 5 years and 3 months in prison.
The Traffic Commissioner revoked the company’s operator’s licence and both the company and its director were disqualified from holding or obtaining another operator’s licence for two years.
Even if nothing this catastrophic happens, our vehicle examiners  will still take your vehicle off the road and can issue you with a fixed penalty if they find dangerous problems with your brakes. This could lead to an investigation and referral to the Traffic Commissioner.
Following best practice
You should carry out routine safety inspections of your vehicles on a regular basis. Annex 4 of the Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness provides tips for you to work out how often a vehicle needs to be inspected.
A braking test needs to form a part of each safety inspection. If possible, you should always brake test a vehicle or trailer laden. You should also use a calibrated roller brake tester (RBT) to measure:
?    individual brake performance
?    overall braking efficiency
You should undertake brake testing with the vehicle or trailer laden in order to get meaningful results. If this test shows the brakes aren’t working properly, then the vehicle or trailer isn’t roadworthy.
You could also use an approved and calibrated decelerometer to measure overall brake efficiency if you’re testing vehicles without trailers.
And you should always try and obtain a printout of the brake test from either the RBT or decelerometer and make sure it’s attached to the safety inspection record. If you can’t get a printout, the inspector should record the results on the safety inspection report instead.
If you can’t carry out a brake test during a safety inspection, the vehicle’s braking performance must be assessed using a road test.
This needs to be carried out under controlled and safe conditions. The safety inspection record should also say that the brake performance was assessed by a road test.
You can use an Electronic Braking Performance Monitoring System (EBPMS) to assess trailer braking performance using data collected while the vehicle is in use.
aide automotive market decelerometer brake testers for commercial vehicles, the Bowmonk BrakeCheck is a known quality product for the UK’s truck, bus & coach market as well as around the world.
The latest addition to the BrakeCheck range is the BrakeCheck GEO, with a built in GPS receiver this decelerometer will provide a GPS location to each brake test.
Contact aide automotive on 0115 8456471 or email info@aideautomotive.com

Truck Brake Tester

BrakeCheck Decelerometer Price Offers

Bowmonk BrakeCheck + GPS

April 30th, 2018 Comments off

Portable Brake Tester Now Incorporates GPS Data

The Bowmonk BrakeCheck is probably the best known portable MOT & Commercial Vehicle Brake Tester around.

With over 20,000 brake testers sold, the Bownonk BrakeCheck is a valuable tool for many transport / haulage workshops and MOT stations in he UK & around the world.

With this and to increase the products quality we can now release a new addition to the BrakeCheck family of products – BrakeCheck Geo

BrakeCheck Geo includes a built-in GPS receiver. When combined with the optional wireless printer, BrakeCheck Geo includes the latitude and longitude of the brake test finish point on the receipt, thereby providing a record of the brake test location.
The GPS facility can be turned on or off by the user as required and an indicator LED shows the GPS status. If the GPS facility is enabled, the unit will not conduct a brake test until a GPS fix has been obtained.
Decelerometer testing of commercial vehicles can now be proven further with this device, GPS location and time & date will 100% prove a test has taken place.
BrakeCheck Geo stores 99 Service Brake Tests & 99 Hand Brake tests within its memory capacity.
With a price of £499.00 + vat the Bowmonk BrakeCheck Geo is still a cost effective brake test for commercial vehicle inspection sheet tests.
Contact aide automotive for sales support, purchasing or just to have a chat!!

 

 

BrakeCheck Bowmonk

Bowmonk GPS added to Brake Tester

Agricultural tractor Brake Test would meet the road worthines

March 2nd, 2018 Comments off

Tractors To Require An O Licence

Agricultural tractors “likely” to require an O-licence

aide automotive have recently seen media reports of agricultural vehicles possibly being made to meet better road safety regulations as per commercial vehicles on UK roads.
Commercial Motor published:
Agricultural tractors that carry out commercial haulage will be subject to roadworthiness testing requirements from next year – and are likely to fall under the O-licensing regime.
From 20 May 2018, operators of agricultural tractors capable of travelling more than 40km/h (approximately 25mph), used to carry commercial goods, will be required to undergo a roadworthiness test four years after their registration and every two years thereafter.
In its response to a consultation carried out last year, the DfT also noted that operators of such tractors would likely require an O-licence.
However, the RHA said the changes did not go far enough to address the concerns about competition, and said allowing tractors to carry freight will encourage more to be used for haulage.
“Ideally we would like to see these vehicles banned from moving freight on public roads entirely as their design is not equivalent to well-designed lorries for that task,” said policy director Duncan Buchanan.
“We do not believe that the frequency, four years for the first test then every two years, is justified. It looks very odd for heavy vehicles like these to be tested so infrequently when a 50cc moped is required to be tested every year after three years.”
The FTA’s head of policy and compliance information, James Firth, added: “If it looks like a truck or it’s doing the work of a truck, test it like a truck. Members in areas where agriculture is a primary economy have long raised concerns that agricultural tractor units, and specially developed fast tractors, were competing in the haulage market without being burdened by the same safety standards.”
On the subject of O-licensing, Buchanan added: “If it is the case then operators would need to obtain O-licences from when the vehicle was new. They should also have to comply with the same level of rigour as lorries.”
Vernon Hill, director at Kings Lynn-based Vernon Hill Agricultural Services, supported bringing tractors into the O-licensing regime.
He said: “An agricultural contractor friend of mine who runs lorries and tractors thinks the cost of each is very similar, so if farmers think they are saving money by not using a haulier they may be kidding themselves.
“If they are doing commercial haulage, why shouldn’t they be in scope of O-licensing?”
The weight and speed limits for farm tractors and trailers on UK roads increased in 2015. Tractors are not currently subject to mandatory testing.
If tractors are to fall under the O licence criteria, agricultural workshops and repair engineers will have to look at regular brake testing, one way to test tractor brakes is the BrakeCheck decelerometer.
Easy to use and with hard copy print options, brake testing a agricultural tractor with a BrakeCheck would meet the road worthiness requirement of an O licence.
Contact aide automotive on 0115 8456471 for BrakeCheck pricing and any further information that me be required.

Brake Tester For Farming Tractors

Test Agri Tractor Brakes With BrakeCheck

80% Of Commercial Vehicle Brake Faults Cleared By Sensor Master

November 7th, 2017 Comments off

CV ABS & EBS Brake Repairs Made Easy!

The Sensor Master Clears 80% Of Commercial Vehicle Brake Faults

As the air braking world has changed, we have had to adapt the way we deal with diagnostic problems that can arise on our customers vehicle systems. As the air signalling system has been fazed out and replaced by the EBS / ABS system we have endeavored to keep up with the advancements in the technology and created our own range of testing equipment.
Our engineer is constantly updating the test equipment to match the needs that arise from his service visits, so are perfectly tuned to the EBS / ABS components that we supply.
Our test devices can be used in conjunction with the OE manufacturer’s testers to create a complete analysis structure for truck and trailers that is not only easy to use but also affordable to all sizes of fleet maintenance from owner / driver to multi fleet service garages.
Since 80% of all EBS / ABS problems are sensor related (Reported By Knorr Bremse & Wabco), by connecting to the sensor socket on each wheel, rather than the ECU, in effect, taking the quickest and most direct route, by going straight to the heart of the problem.
The Sensor Master DRA08 is a handheld EBS / ABS sensor and exciter ring tester, for use on trucks, trailers, and buses.
Lightweight and portable, the EBS /ABS CV Sensor Tester comes supplied with two 1.6m high quality cables, a sturdy carry case, short introductory printed manual, and a single 9V battery – everything, in fact, needed to use it straight out of the box.
Designed with ease of use in mind, the Commercial Vehicle ABS EBS Sensor Testertakes minutes to set-up, and, once connected, undertakes a complete test cycle of the six most common causes of EBS / ABS faults, at the touch of a button, in just 15 seconds – a fraction of the time it would take to perform the same tests manually.
Contact aide automotive to purchase this cost effective easy to use tester or buy online at our aide Online PayPal Shop.

Commercial Vehicle ABS EBS Tester

Truck ABS Faults Easily Found With Sensor Tester