How to minimise the risk of truck fires

At the 2013 PACCAR and Dealer TMC, NTI National Manager Industrial Relations Owen Driscoll will share his recommendations on how to minimise the risk of non-impact fires in truck fleets.

The author of NTI’s series of major accident investigation reports, Driscoll is also the director of research of the National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC) and director of the TruckSafe safety accreditation program.

“In 2011, 12.1% of the major losses reported to NTI were attributed to non-impact fires, with an average fire loss of $170,000 for each incident. Undoubtedly, the incident rate of fire losses has increased substantially since we first researched them in the 2005 study,” Driscoll said.

“These fire losses originated from failed wheel bearings, brakes, engine, cabin electrical wiring and trailer refrigeration equipment. It naturally raises the question of whether the standard of quality and regular equipment maintenance has become less rigorous.

“Workshop technicians can remove many of the risk factors for these fires with preventative measures such as installing circuit breaker protection, ensuring proper tyre inflation and checking wiring for rubbing.

“Truck fires represent an enormous loss to the industry. It’s essential that all operators and workshop staff across Australia are aware of the risk factors and work to manage them within their fleet.”

TMC2013 will run from 28-30 October at the Automotive Centre of Excellence at the Kangan Institute in Docklands, Melbourne.

‘Truck fires and incidents - lessons from insurance investigations for maintenance personnel’ will start at 8 am on Tuesday, 29 October.

TMC2013 also features technical forums on key issues like truck electrical fault finding, parts purchasing and tyre selection and maintenance, as well as hands-on product training workshops delivered by leading suppliers including Cummins, Eaton and BPW Transpec.

For further details, visit www.truck.net.au/tmc.