FEATURE
The two most important aspects of
efficiencies when it comes to truck
bodies are correct design (such as no
heat bridges) and the use of good
quality materials (such as high quality
polyurethane insulating foam),
explains Gröss.
You can also use a reflective paint or
tape on the roof and floors to reject the
radiation coming in from the sun and tar
surfaces. “This will reduce the potential
heat load entering the load body,
which will ultimately cause the cooling
unit to work harder and use more fuel,”
according to Gröss.
“Thicker insulation is also always a
guaranteed way to increase the efficiency
of the body. It may not always be
practical, but definitely more efficient,”
says Gröss.
Heyman suggests using better quality,
more efficient panels that offer superior
insulating properties, resulting in less
energy to keep the inside of the vehicle at
a given temperature.
Swart also agrees that insulation is
key. “Correct or slightly over specified
insulation should be used,” he suggests.
Improvement of the insulating foam with
enhanced properties aids temperature
control. “Improved temperature
control results in less energy required to
maintain temperatures.”
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But it’s not just about the truck itself. “A
major source of energy wastage is at the
delivery points,” explains Heyman. There
are many occurrences where a load
gets to its destination, but then has to
wait anything between one to four hours
before being offloaded. “By investing in
resources to improve this aspect there
could be major efficiency gains.”
Another issue at the delivery point
is the level of supervision and the
personnel’s understanding of the cold
chain. Too often the refrigeration bodies
are opened and left open for too long,
and to worsen the issue, the cooling
units are left to run while the doors are
open, says Heyman. This should not be
done as the cooling units will blow out
the cold air and warm, humid air will
be sucked into the unit, and then the
air inside the body is hot and contains
a lot of moisture again. It then takes
much longer to get the body down to
temperature again.
Holcroft recommends frequent
servicing of the fridge and the body to
ensure repairs are done timeously. He
also suggests: installing air curtains on
the doors to reduce cold air loss when
doors are opened, installing insulated
load dividers to separate products with
different temperatures, and/or installing
temperature telematics systems.
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
If the vehicle body manufacturer does not understand the customer requirements and
operating conditions, it is possible the body can be incorrectly specified.
MAINTENANCE MATTERS
Speaking of ‘frequent servicing’, how
important is maintenance on the truck
and why? Is this being done properly in
South Africa?
“Considering the state of some of our
roads, maintenance is very important,”
says Martinelli. Hairline cracks in the sub-
frame and door frame can be detected
and fixed early.
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
“Maintenance is paramount to the
life cycle of the truck, and is more
important to the body,” explains Marks.
Most users wait until the body is rejected
at the loading bay before they have it
repaired, and then it becomes a repair
job, instead of routine maintenance,
and is expensive. Non-maintained
bodies are also dangerous in hygiene
aspects. Fungus gets into damaged
COLD LINK AFRICA • June 2019