This report examines the accuracy of three commercially-available on-board axle weighing systems. These systems were fitted to heavy goods vehicles and were tested over a six-month period. The tests concentrated on the accuracy of the systems when measuring individual axle weights and the combined weights on linked axles rather than the weight of the payload or the gross vehicle weight. The report concludes that, even under ideal conditions (i.e.: on level ground, with a central load, with all tyre pressures set to the manufacturers' recommended levels and shortly after the systems were fitted), none of the systems could consistently achieve an accuracy of plus or minus 2 per cent. In addition, the accuracy of some of the systems was affected by sloping ground, the position of the load carried by the vehicle and/or differences between the tyre pressures of the inner and outer tyres of double-tyred wheels. (Author/publisher)
Abstract