The imposition of seasonal load restrictions (SLR) on the thaw-weakened secondary roads interrupt the transportation of raw materials to processing facilities; for the forestry industry in particular, this has very significant impacts on productivity and costs. FPInnovations-Feric Division (Feric) has investigated the potential for Tire Pressure Control System (TPCS)-equipped trucks to travel with full, legal loading during the SLR period without accelerating road damage. The TPCS monitors and adjusts the inflation pressure of the trucks' tires from within the truck's cabin. This paper describes an investigation to determine whether TPCS can be used to mitigate traffic generated damage to secondary roads and also reduce the need to implement load restrictions. For the covering abstract of this conference see ITRD number E216597.
Samenvatting