Indonesian fleet for cement transport managed with C-track

Fleet Management

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

31 July 2008

Indonesia’s public listed company Mitra Rajasa operates one of the largest trucking fleets in Indonesia serving the cement industry for almost 30 years, as well as the oil and gas industry. With a combined market share of more than 70%, Mitra Rajasa serves the three leading cement producers in Indonesia, with a fleet comprising of heavy-duty dump trucks, flat-bed trucks and trailer trucks.

Since December 2007, Mitra Rajasa started equipping its fleet with DigiCore’s C-track fleet management system, in order to improve operational control and increase their fleets’ usage efficiency, thus achieving considerable savings and improving customer service.

Earlier this year, their fleet has been strengthened with 250 brand new trucks. C-track was installed in their trucks even before the first day of operation in order to immediately benefit from its proven advantages.

With over 1,000 trucks plying the highways of Indonesia, their fleet transported more than 2.2 million tonnes of cement in 2007, and are expected to carry up to 3.1 million tonnes in 2008.

C-track Indonesia General Manager Bart van Dongen confirmed Mitra Rajasa intention to install their entire fleet, in the midterm future, with the C-track system.

[ Visit the Arrive Alive Road Safety Website for info on Fleet Management and Road Safety]

Lane closure on N4 toll road may affect flow of traffic

Lane Closure on N4 Toll Road

Trans African Concessions (TRAC) will be performing upgrading and reconstruction work on sections of the N4 which will lead to part lane closure from 29 July to 31 July 2008.

Klein Olifants River to Woestalleen (west)

29 July 2008: The left lane (slow moving traffic lane) between Klein Olifants River and Woestalleen will be closed in a westerly direction. Lane closure will only be implemented during day time hours. Both lanes will be open at night.

Arnot to Wonderfontein

30 – 31 July 2008: One lane at a time, over a short section of road, (between Arnot and
Wonderfontein) will be closed during construction operations.

30 – 31 July 2008: The slow (left) lane in an easterly direction will be closed at night
on 30 July. Depending on progress, this lane may also be closed at night on 31 July.

Traffic control measures will be in place at these sections throughout the construction period. Kindly adhere to reduced speed limits and take care when passing through the construction sections.

[ Information provided by E-Trac Newsletter]

Why a Global Road Safety Partnership SA?

Why a Global Road Safety Partnership SA?

Improved road safety in South Africa will depend on hard work and cooperation between many different role players. Not only are there many inter-related functional areas involved in the management and control of road traffic and safety, but there are also various role players that can and should work together to assist the official government institutions responsible for road safety management. It is, therefore, beneficial for companies to work in Partnership with government, NGOs and other businesses to address identified problems.

The Global Road Safety Partnership is a tri-sectoral partnership between government, businesses and civil society organisations dedicated to reducing death and injury on the roads in our country. GRSP ZA is directly linked to the international GRSP office which is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Members of GRSP ZA include the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC),
the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), the Road Accident Fund (RAF),
NGOs, the South African Red Cross, oil companies, and vehicle manufactures.

Visit the section Global Road Safety Partnership Section on the Arrive Alive Road Safety Website for more information on the GRSP ZA.

South Africans fear traffic circles!

South Africans fear traffic circles!

Apart from irresponsible overtaking, lane changing and traffic congestion, these dreaded parts of road construction most probably account for most instances of road rage! They should perhaps not even be called traffic circles but rather roundabouts. Whatever name we decide upon – it is clear that most drivers are afraid of them!

Perhaps the best way to prove the point is to stand next to a roundabout and observe for a few minutes. You will find uncertainty, carelessness, hooting and rude gestures. The Arrive Alive Road Safety Website has received numerous requests for clarification on the legal position pertaining to roundabouts [traffic circles] and mini circles and has attempted to do so with a page on “Driving around a Traffic Circle / Roundabout”

In most basic terms the legal position is the following:

• Mini-circles
Slow down and give way to other vehicles that cross any Yield line before you do.
Proceed in a clockwise direction around the painted island, without driving on it.

In the words of the official legislation:
Indicates to the driver of a vehicle approaching a mini circle that he or she shall yield right of way to any vehicle which will cross any yield line at such junction before him or her and which, in the normal course of events, will cross the path of such driver’s vehicle and that the driver shall move in a clockwise direction within such junction and attempt not to encroach on the mini-circle.

• Roundabouts
You must obey traffic circle rules at the roundabout.

In the words of the official legislation:
Indicates to the driver of a vehicle that he or she shall move in a clockwise direction at the junction ahead and he or she shall yield right of way to traffic approaching from the right, within the roundabout, where such vehicles are so close as to constitute a danger or potential danger.

I would like to propose the following additional recommendations:

• Basic Rule – always yield the right of way to traffic approaching from the right
• Never expect other drivers to be aware of the Rules of the Road
• Never speed/ accelerate towards or in a roundabout / traffic circle
• If an accident is to happen…rather let it be when you are not speeding
• When entering the roundabout, view possible exists and other vehicles within and entering the roundabout
• Do not make sudden lane changes but rather be calculated and aware of other vehicles around you.
• Always move to the left lane before you exit the roundabout
• If you have made a mistake and find yourself in the wrong lane, you can always go around another time [or two] – avoid sudden movement!

A traffic circle/ roundabout need not be a threat! Let us concentrate and discuss with other road users how to arrive alive at the other side!!

Visibility campaign reaches out to Africa

Amend.org campaign

Earlier today I received a news update from my friends at Amend.org about the progress made with the Be Seen Be Safe Campaign! Amend was founded in New York City and always strived to keep overheads low with all of the program activity happening in Africa.

Amend conducted the development and evaluation of Be Seen, Be Safe in Ghana. Amend’s dedicated staff there works out of a office in the Mamprobi section of the capital, Accra. Plans are to expand to a second sub-Saharan African country in 2009.

Amend implement and evaluate Be Seen, Be Safe on an ongoing basis and have been doing so since 2005.

By mid-2009, they would have developed all of the program elements of Be Seen, Be Safe through qualitative and quantitative analysis and observation into what they believe is the ideal, scalable model for a child-pedestrian injury-prevention program. This will be the first such program designed expressly for use in the developing world.

At that point, they will begin a full, one-year, publishable, pre- and post-implementation impact evaluation of Be Seen, Be Safe. In other words, Amend will measure the impact that all the combined elements that make up Be Seen, Be Safe have on reducing injury. Once the impact evaluation is complete, Be Seen, Be Safe will be ready to take to scale.

This will happen by the end of next year. Therefore, Amend have begun the process of selecting a second program country. Please visit the website, www.amend.org, for more in-depth information and frequently updated news.

The Arrive Alive Road Safety website and this Blog would like to Wish Amend all of the best with their efforts!

Toll Plazas tackle allegations of credit card abuse

Rumours of credit card fraud at Toll Plazas often surface. I myself have often questioned the safety of paying toll fees by way of credit card. It is nice to know that one of the operators, Trans African Concessions, have investigated some of these allegations and revealed a report on the findings.

The Report reveals the following interesting information:

TRAC investigated each one of the claims made and found that in all instances, transactions were above board. TRAC supplied full details of all transactions to each one of the complainants of the dates, times and their passages through the toll plaza/s. The proof included visual material of the individuals and their motor vehicles.

Swiping of cards
Merchant agreements with the major banks on the use of credit cards insist upon a “pass back period” – in TRAC’s case +/- 30 minutes. This means that once a credit card has been swiped and the transaction cost has been deducted, the card CANNOT be accepted at the same card reader for at least 30 minutes.

It follows that if a card is swiped more than once by any toll collector, it is simply due to the fact that the card has NOT been read on the first swipe. Fraudulently “double” or “triple” swiping a card is simply not possible.

Bulking of transactions
Credit card transactions are “rolled up” every 7 days in effect to save costs for the road user. Every credit card transaction is subject to a Government levy of 20c per bank submission. If a road user makes a number of trips per week and each transaction is submitted individually, the charge to the road user will be higher. With “roll ups” the levy paid is only 20c for the one submission every 7 days.

The “roll up” also explains why a road user’s bank statement will reflect transactions at a Toll Plaza on a different date as when the actual transaction took place, and why there may seem to be duplication of transactions.

Commitment against crime
TRAC is committed to combat any criminal activities along the N4, from Pretoria to Maputo. Any criminal and fraudulent activities will be addressed immediately and with the full support of the law. Rest assured that TRAC will be the first to make a full announcement to the public, should it ever become aware of fraudulent activities at any of its Toll Plazas in South Africa and Mozambique.

Should you become aware of any such activities, report the matter immediately to 0800 TRAC N4 (0800 8722 64) and at your nearest branch of the SA Police Service.
Kindly provide the following information:

Date of your trip
Plaza/s name where you used your card
Vehicle registration number
Banking institution
Credit card number
Name on credit card
Contact details
All information will be treated as confidential. Information will be communicated directly to you.

[ Information supplied by Trans African Concessions]

Road Safety Awareness benefit from Mama Taxi Cartoons

Road Safety Awareness benefit from Mama Taxi Cartoons

Road Safety awareness is a serious matter – and awareness can be created through many innovative methods. These also include cartoons reflecting on the hard truths and threats to road safety. Deni Brown and Gavin Thomson, who are the creators of the well known Mama Taxi cartoons have kindly included a theme of “Arrive Alive Tips” within a new series – and these will be included on the Arrive Alive Website.

May we always look at innovative ways of creating awareness of road safety!!

Visit the Arrive Alive Website to view some of these Cartoons.

15 Year old school girl airlifted after being knocked down during morning rush hour

15 Year old school girl airlifted after being knocked down during morning rush hour

At approximately 7am on Friday morning 18 July 2008, Netcare 911 paramedics responded to reports that a school girl had been knocked down by a car on the R55 not far from the N14 crossing in Olievenhoutbos, near the border of Midrand and Centurion.

Paramedics arrived to find that the victim had been knocked down by a white car. The victim was dressed in school uniform and family members at the scene informed the paramedics that the girl was 15 years old. She has sustained several serious injuries and was placed onto emergency life support by the paramedic at the scene. Due to the seriousness of the injuries together with the location of the incident as well as the heavy early morning traffic, it was decided that it was in the victims best interest to get to a hospital as soon as possible and the Netcare 911 helicopter was called to the scene. The young victim was attended to by a Netcare 911 doctor during the flight and she was taken to the Pretoria Academic hospital for further assessment and treatment.

The road was closed to traffic while the helicopter was at the scene and traffic was negatively affected in both directions. Police officials were investigating the cause of the incident.

This incident was attended to by Netcare 911, fire department as well as the police.

[ Information provided by Netcare 911 to the Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog]

NETCARE 911
Emergency No. 082 911

TomTom releases newest GPS products with a focus on safety!

TomTom reveals new GPS products with a focus on safety

Amsterdam, 18 July 2008. TomTom, the world’s leading portable navigation solutions provider, today announced the latest models in its award-winning car navigation product offering – the TomTom ONE and TomTom XL. The new products have been completely redesigned and include a folding mount that provides maximum portability and flexibility.

Based on extensive consumer studies and feedback, TomTom has redesigned the new TomTom ONE and TomTom XL from scratch. In line with its acclaimed approach to ease of use – in software, maps and installation TomTom has introduced a brand new mounting solution with the TomTom ONE and TomTom XL. This new windscreen mount – known as the EasyPort™ mount – can be left on the device and folded flat after use. The complete unit, including the mount, is then small enough to fit into a shirt pocket, bag or pocket when the driver leaves the vehicle.

In addition, for even clearer voice instructions, both the TomTom ONE and TomTom XL are now equipped with a completely revised audio system, ensuring navigation instructions are loud and clear at all times – even above the car radio, outside traffic noise.

Truly compact and portable, the TomTom ONE comes with a 3.5 inch touch screen LCD, while the TomTom XL boasts a 4.3 inch widescreen LCD, for those who prefer a larger display.

The new TomTom ONE (the world’s best-selling portable navigation device) and TomTom XL supersede the current TomTom ONE 3RD EDITION and TomTom ONE XL ranges, and will be available from retailers starting end August 2008.

“The updated TomTom ONE and TomTom XL are now even more desirable, offering a combination of unrivalled ease of use, extreme portability, the most comprehensive and up-to-date maps, and personalisation options to suit the individual user – all at an affordable price”, says Harold Goddijn, TomTom’s chief executive officer.

“The distinctive design of the new TomTom ONE and TomTom XL, with the convenience of the EasyPort™ mounting solution, will set them apart from other devices on the market, and will appeal to customers looking for a compact, smart, ultra-portable navigation solution, but who don’t wish to compromise on quality or features.”

EasyPort™ mount
The TomTom EasyPort™ mount has a unique, flexible design, allowing the user to fix their TomTom device securely to their desired position on the windscreen, using the strong, mechanical locking system. Once at their destination, the user can then remove it quickly and easily, with one twist, when leaving their vehicle. The clever design allows the driver to fold away the mount neatly onto the TomTom device – and remove the entire unit, without having to worry about stowing the mount separately. Given the small size of the device and mount together, finding an easy and secure storage space in a bag, is no longer a problem. In addition, TomTom now offers two accessory cases to hold the device and mount combined as a neat, compact package.

Loud and clear voice instructions for safer driving
Independent safety research has shown the importance of audible navigation instructions to road safety. While both the TomTom ONE and TomTom XL ranges have been redesigned, no compromise has been made on audio performance. The TomTom ONE and TomTom XL now include a much larger, enhanced speaker system, ensuring the spoken instructions are loud and clear at all times against any background noise within a typical in-car environment. The new text-to-speech feature on the TomTom ONE XL enables street names and places to be read aloud as part of the spoken instructions.

TomTom Map Share™
Users of the new TomTom ONE and TomTom XL ranges will benefit from TomTom’s unique Map Share technology, with millions of corrections and improvements uploaded every month by the TomTom online user community. These can include changes in street names, road speed limits, turn restrictions, traffic directions and road blocks, as well as corrections to Points of Interest, such as phone numbers changes. Map Share enables drivers to improve their own maps instantly on their device, as well as receive the corrections from other users via TomTom HOME – free desktop software. TomTom has the world’s largest satellite navigation community with approximately 20 million users, and Map Share means TomTom drivers can always have the most up-to-date maps and inside local knowledge at their fingertips.

Latest map guarantee
TomTom portable navigation devices are installed with the latest maps during production, however, customers can be reassured that if a new map is released during the first 30 days of using their new device, they are entitled to a free download of the latest map, via TomTom HOME.

Safety as a priority
Safety is a key priority in the development of all TomTom products. The new TomTom ONE and TomTom XL come with comprehensive safety features, so drivers always have direct access to safety and roadside assistance information wherever they go. The extensive ‘Help Me!’ menu includes information such as emergency and breakdown service numbers, directions to the nearest hospital, car maintenance advice and first aid instructions. Advanced safety preferences also allow the user to set their own requirements regarding speed warnings, timed driving breaks and menu accessibility options.

More map choices
The new TomTom ONE and TomTom XL models come with a comprehensive map of the Southern Africa region, covering South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia, with maximum detail stored on the internal memory, provided by TeleAtlas/MapIT.

TomTom HOME
As with all TomTom products, the new TomTom ONE and TomTom XL range comes with TomTom HOME, TomTom’s free desktop software for PC/Mac – essential for keeping the TomTom device up to date at all times. Through TomTom HOME, customers can easily download new software versions, as well as the latest maps and safety camera database.

Drivers can personalise their device, ensuring their destination is reached in a relaxed and enjoyable way. A large and growing number of personalisation options, such as fun navigational voices, distinctive warning sounds, stylish welcome screens and a range of Points of Interest – many of which have been created by the TomTom HOME user community – can be downloaded via TomTom HOME free of charge (except for premium content).

Smart and fun extras
To complement the new range, TomTom has introduced a full range of accessories which have been designed specifically for the TomTom ONE and TomTom XL. The range includes new TomTom sleeves (soft protective cases in black or red), durable protective cases, leather carry cases, additional mounts and USB home chargers.

Availability 
The new TomTom ONE and TomTom XL supersede the current ONE 3RD EDITION and ONE XL ranges, and will be available from retailers starting end August 2008.

More information on the benefits of GPS devices for road safety has been made available on the Arrive Alive Road Safety Website under a section “GPS and Road Safety”

Taxi and bakkie collission in Kimberley

Taxi and bakkie collission in Kimberley

Eighteen people suffered minor injuries when a taxi collided on 14th of July at 18:30 with a bakkie in the Kimberley CBD. (corner Stockdale and Compound street). Netcare 911 and Provincial ambulance service transported the patients to Kimberley Provincial Hospital and Curamed.

[ Information provided by Netcare 911 to the Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog]

NETCARE 911
Emergency No. 082 911