Always thinking of others
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Safety always comes first for Day Group – whether it be that of other road users, customers or staff
Words / Images: Steve Gray With their distinctive green and red livery, Day Group’s vehicles are a familiar sight on the roads in London and the South East. It is hardly surprising given that the company, which includes Day Aggregates and CJB Bagging, runs around 115 trucks operating out of no fewer than 12 depots across the region.
“Although we are essentially in the construction industry, we are nonetheless a pretty substantial truck operator,” says Dominic Day, the company’s transport and distribution director.
Along with group transport manager Chris Cooling, Day is responsible for a mixed fleet of Volvo, Daf and Scania eight-wheel tippers, tractor units and semi-trailers, as well as 16 18-tonne rigids for builders’ merchant deliveries.
You’d be hard pressed to find a pair more passionate about setting and maintaining the highest standards, particularly when it comes to safety. “Ensuring the safety of the public, our customers and staff is a fundamental tenet of our business,” says Day. “As members of the Mineral Products Association [MPA], we try to adopt or exceed the various best practice codes that they provide.” This applies both to the vehicles and their drivers. All drivers are inducted, receive monthly tool box talks and are appraised annually. The company is ahead of schedule when it comes to getting them all through the Driver CPC. Included in their qualifying training so far has been the MPQC (Mineral Products Qualifications Council) Driver Skills Card and Safed courses. Day has also helped the MPQC develop a Vulnerable Road User course, which should be delivered in the next couple of months.
Cooling has made sure that the vehicles are completely safe too, not only for the driver, but other road users and pedestrians as well. A good example can be found in its latest acquisition, a Volvo FM11-370 8x4 tipper, one of a number supplied by MC Group that have PPG/ Weightlifter bodies fitted to them.
These latest additions to the fleet come with Volvo’s I-Shift gearbox to improve the driver’s lot, as well as giving better fuel consumption results. Cooling says Volvo has one of the best cabs on the market and comes complete with a driver’s airbag and Bluetooth telephone connection. “We do everything we can to keep drivers in their cabs, where they are less vulnerable,” he says.
Vehicle safety features
MC Group has fitted safety features such as side and reversing cameras, along with side sensors and strobes to the front and rear of the vehicle. This not only allows the vehicle to be clearly seen by pedestrians and other road users, particularly cyclists, but also gives the driver excellent all-round vision. The side camera is activated at 20mph or below, which enables the driver to spot traffic coming up the nearside. When the left indicator is used, an audible warning makes other road users and pedestrians aware of the driver’s intentions.
Although they are not mandatory, side guards have been fitted to its tippers, which Day says are a mixed blessing. “They are definitely a good thing as far as safety is concerned, but we are constantly repairing and replacing them as a result of damage from loading shovels and working off-road.” However, Day considers it a small price to pay to protect pedestrians and cyclists.
The PPG/Weightlifter heavy-duty aggregate body also features front-end tipping gear and electric flip sheeting system. The body was built by PPG specifically to suit Cooling’s requirements, and incorporates a cab-operated tailgate air locking bar in addition to all the other safety features mentioned.
Although it is heavy duty, it is still much lighter than a lightweight steel equivalent.
Cooling says that a first-class working relationship has been built up with both MC Group and PPG/Weightlifter. “They understand our needs completely and go out of their way to ensure that we get exactly what we want. Coming from an engineering background, Rick Nichols [Weightlifter group sales director] knows his stuff and will always find a solution to any problem or special requirement we may have.
“We often choose PPG/Weightlifter for our tippers and trailers, not only for Nichols’ expertise and help, but because we know they are always going to be around, whereas too many others have gone to the wall. Their products are excellent and are constructed to the highest standards. The company is forward-thinking too, having acquired the necessary ISO accreditation to enable it to fulfil the requirements of Whole Vehicle Type Approval well in advance of the deadline,” says Cooling.
A recent contract saw Day Aggregates remove much of the material from the demolition of Heathrow’s Terminal 2, recycling it and delivering it to the Olympic Park Site by rail. More recently, over 5,000 tonnes of aggregates have been supplied to the Equestrian Arena in Greenwich Park for the Olympic Games.
Crossrail standards
The company is also heavily involved in the Crossrail project linking Maidenhead with East London. Crossrail and its contractors have set the highest standards for suppliers to meet. To be compliant, vehicle operators must be members of Transport for London’s Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (Fors). Day Aggregates was one of the first tipper operators to achieve silver status. Drivers must attend a seven-hour induction and training course, while vehicles must also meet a variety of standards that exceed the statutory requirements. Trucks have to be equipped with visible and audible warnings for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as being conspicuous to others. The drivers also have additional aids, such as Fresnel lenses and proximity sensors, to reduce the risk that LGVs can present. With its positive, pro-active approach to all aspects of safety, Day Group has no problem meeting all these requirements. ■