Maple reports surging demand for safe coupling device to counter risk of rollaways

This article was taken from the third issue of our Product Innovation Daily magazine series. Click here to read the third magazine, completely free.

Maple Fleet Services has been experiencing a surge in demand for its trailer rollaway prevention device, SafeConnect, as operators take the lead in mitigating risk across their fleets.

For many years, trailer rollaway incidents have been one of transport’s most taboo subjects, said the company. All too frequently, fleet operators will tell you it’s simply not an issue, or that it would never happen to their drivers.

But Maple has found otherwise: in a survey it conducted in 2015, two in three drivers admitted to having experienced or witnessed a trailer rollaway situation.

The same research also highlighted an under-reporting of such issues and a worryingly blasé attitude towards coupling procedures and the potential dangers around them. Furthermore, there were also common misconceptions about the role played by automatic park brake applications, which Maple points out are quite different to safe coupling solutions.

Encouragingly, Maple said this attitude is now showing signifi­cant signs of change, with operators now far more proactive about trailer safety, backed up with clear guidance from industry bodies around safe coupling.

SafeConnect is designed to protect the driver throughout the coupling procedure, preventing the early or inadvertent release of trailer brakes, ensuring the driver is safely back in the cab before it is possible to release the brakes.

“We launched SafeConnect back in 2014 and even during that time we have seen a massive shift in attitude as more fleets take a proactive lead in protecting their drivers, with the likes of Nestle, DX Freight and TJ Morris (Home Bargains) just a few of the companies to have adopted SafeConnect to enhance their fleet safety,” said Paul Nunn, marketing manager at Maple.

“In addition to this we are working alongside a number of new clients who have committed to the rollout of more than 1,000 units during 2020.”

To learn more about SafeConnect, visit maplefleetservices.co.uk

This article was taken from the third issue of our Product Innovation Daily magazine series. Click here to read the third magazine, completely free.