Key Supporters of the Roadtrain Safety Projects include:
Roadtrain Safety Project Stage 3
ARTSA Institute is proud to announce that it has again been given funding to continue its research into Roadtrain safety & productivity. The funding is from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator's (NHVR) Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) and the Australian Government.
This project is for the continuation of the testing program to address critical regulatory and knowledge gaps regarding the performance, safety, and specification of rigid drawbar dollies in multi-combination heavy vehicle applications, particularly A-Doubles. While rigid dollies are widely regarded as offering potential improvements in braking performance, stability, and handling over hinged designs, a lack of validated data has hindered their broader adoption and regulatory treatment.
The project outcomes will provide a robust, evidence-based foundation for future standards, performance regulations, and operational guidance. This will occur through a structured test and analysis program focusing on vehicle dynamics, braking behaviour, and coupling force transmission in real-world and controlled test environments.
Roadtrain Safety Project Stage 2
ARTSA institute in 2024 was awarded another project grant, funded by NHVR's Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) and the Australian Government that is focussed on measuring coupling forces through high productivity road train combinations. This project follows the successful completion of the first couplings project (details below). ARTSA-i's research program seeks to validate safe ways to increase the productivity of road trains in Australia. The current project will measure coupling forces and other variables to assess the strength, stability, handling and braking behaviour of roadtrain combinations in critical situations such as heavy braking.
ARTSA-i research program manager Wayne Baker met this week with Mario Colisimo and Darcy Shepherd from Smedley's Engineers at the site of project partner, Henderson's Haulage. The picture dolly will be modified so that it can collect the mountains of data needed to learn about the forces and design factors involved with modern couplings.
Roadtrain Safety Project - Stage 1
