New Axtec Weighbridge at Wellingborough Norse keeps local hauliers legal
Axle weighing specialist, Axtec, has installed Northamptonshire’s first publicly available ‘drive-over’ dynamic weighbridge at the Wellingborough Council Depot operated by Wellingborough Norse.
Situated at the Finedon Road Industrial Estate, the new Axtec weighbridge is strategically situated for M1 / A14 traffic and will help local transport companies save hundreds of pounds in overloading fines and ‘down time’ incurred travelling to out-of-county weighing facilities. The new Axtec weighbridge will incur a cost of just £15 to weigh a typical commercial vehicle. Opening hours are from 8.00am to 4.00pm.
The installation also allows Wellingborough Norse to execute its new bulking operation whereby it can load, and now weigh, mixed recyclables on-site, before transferring it to Hinkley, thus bringing greater efficiencies to Wellingborough Council’s services.
Axtec’s dynamic weighbridge is fast too, allowing a six-axle tractor and trailer combination to weigh in just 40-seconds and to obtain individual axle and a gross vehicle weight to an accuracy of +/- 0.25% - the most accurate dynamic weighbridge in the world. The driver simply drives over the flush mounted platform at a constant speed of 2.5 mph before obtaining instant weight figures from a digital read-out.
Wellingborough Norse has also had its new Axtec dynamic weighbridge certified by Northamptonshire Trading Standards, making it available not only for public use, but also for DVSA and for other authorities to carry out inspections.
“The Axtec dynamic weighbridge has been a shrewd investment for us,” said Bernard Gallyot, Operations Director at Wellingborough Norse. “The installation will bring us some substantial efficiencies within our mixed bulk recycling operation – saving us time and money travelling to an off-site weighbridge many miles away. Bringing key operations in-house,” he said, “will, ultimately, mean benefits for the public.”
“Furthermore,” said Gallyot, “the Axtec weighbridge presents us with a commercial opportunity. The cost for weighing a commercial vehicle on the new Axtec weighbridge is just £15, allowing us to provide a service to local hauliers who now have a local, cost-effective solution to their weighing requirements. The new equipment will eventually pay for itself.”
The installation of Axtec’s dynamic weighbridge is a first for Northamptonshire and the surrounding region, and will provide local hauliers and other transport companies with a fast, cost-effective and highly accurate method of checking their vehicles for correct axle weight distribution. The Wellingborough, Kettering, Northampton intersection sees a high volume of freight traffic and is a popular region for transport companies to base their ‘hub’ operations. A new, dedicated and highly flexible dynamic weighbridge will be of huge appeal to hauliers, potentially saving them hundreds of thousands of pounds
Derek Hack, Sales Manager at Axtec commented: “Traditional plate-type weighbridges providing accurate gross vehicle weights are quite common but hauliers often need to check individual axle weights as well, which the Axtec dynamic weighbridge installed at Wellingborough Council can provide – and it’s the only one in Northamptonshire. Now,” he said, “truck operators can check they’re legally and efficiently loaded in Wellingborough thanks to the local authority – and Axtec.”