‘Proactive’ SunSkips goes the extra mile for lorry safety

When you’re moving heavy skips through built-up areas in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, safety is paramount.

From highly trained drivers to the latest vehicles with built-in safety features, SunSkips leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the well-being of our team and the general public.

But for the ultimate peace of mind that we’re doing everything possible to reduce risks, SunSkips tends to think several steps ahead to prevent accidents before they happen.

And according to safety equipment supplier FHOSS, it’s something the company is particularly good at.

‘Early adopter’

With a fleet of 33 lorries delivering and collecting containers all over East Anglia to keep an eye on, SunSkips managing director Mathew Stewart has his work cut out for him to make sure everything runs smoothly on a daily basis.

But as a business owner who’s always looking to improve on what came before, Mat has doubled down on leveraging the latest in security technology to keep the firm as drama-free as possible.

Enter FHOSS’ Halo and Cycle Lane systems, a set of units that attach to the sides and rear of SunSkips’ HGVs, emitting red and amber light beams on the ground that function in tandem with the vehicles’ indicators.

The lights make SunSkips sites in Cambridge, Stowmarket, Haverhill and Ipswich much safer in low lighting (drivers often get to work before sunrise to manage more than 100,000 tonnes of the region’s waste a year) as a clear exclusion zone is projected on the ground.

Lorry backup alarms have long served to alert pedestrians and other road users during reverse manoeuvres, but with FHOSS’ extra security measures, those plugged into headphones or wearing ear defenders are protected too.

When it comes to new vehicle safety features, managing director Mat Stewart is keen to be one of the first businesses to implement them.

“A lot of customers are reactive, not proactive, but Mat is not that type of customer,” explained Christiana Kimitri, key account manager at FHOSS.

“We’ve been working with Mat for quite a while now. He was an early adopter and sees the benefits of preventing accidents before they happen.

“Mat has been a big supporter and advocate of what we do, so kudos to him!”

FHOSS key account manager Christiana Kimitri

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Christiana explained that HGV drivers have major blind spots on the left-hand side, so shining the warning system could mean the difference between life and death for some road users.

She said, “Drivers and cyclists are a lot more cautious when they see the big amber and lines on the ground. Anything that can be done to reduce the chances of an accident with vulnerable road users is well worth it in my book.”

But keeping everyone safe isn’t the only benefit to an investment in vehicle safety.

A FHOSS unit installed on a SunSkips lorry

“Clients have reported reductions in insurance premiums after installing our systems,” revealed Christina. “So while professional companies are investing in safety first and foremost, there is an additional incentive.”

Christina hopes the automotive industry will take notice of the benefits of the FHOSS system and introduce the products into new lorries as standard.

She added, “It’s something we’d love to see. We’re trying to drive standards a little bit as using tech to improve road safety is being talked about more and more.”

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Safety first

The latest additions to SunSkips’ fleet already came packed with safety features before FHOSS got their hands on them.

The four new Volvo lorries that recently rolled into the Ipswich site were customised with several add-ons to further cement SunSkips’ status as a safe skip hire firm:

• 3.5m wheelbases improve manoeuvring for tight deliveries and navigating urban areas.
• Forward collision warnings alert drivers to potential accidents before they happen.
• Advanced emergency brake systems assist in bringing lorries to a safe stop before it’s too late.
• Lane departure warning systems use cameras to scan road markings and set off an alert if s lorry strays from its intended path.
• City windows feature on the lower passenger doors, allowing for more visibility in an otherwise dangerous blind spot.
• Telematics and diagnostic systems alert SunSkips to mechanical issues before they become a problem, preventing breakdowns and accidents by advising on the replacement of parts in advance.

But all that still wasn’t enough for SunSkips. It was time to bring in CCTV firm ACSS to add an extra layer of security, giving the driving team every tool necessary to move skips around without incident.

Eyes on the road

Keeping drivers, site workers, other road users and pedestrians safe is a top priority for everyone at SunSkips.

So the decision to invest in four-camera systems to allow drivers to see all around the vehicles was an easy one to make.

The ACSS setup gives SunSkips drivers a much clearer view of the road, which is especially useful in the skip hire business when clients often require vehicles to squeeze through tight gaps to drop off and pick up containers.

The locations ACSS installs cameras and monitors on vehicles

“The cameras are an incredible aid,“ said SunSkips transport manager Joe Neill, who backs up Mat’s assertion that safety is a worthwhile investment for the company.

“Our drivers never have to misjudge a gap when making a difficult drop-off or driving down a narrow road. For customers who care about using a safe and compliant waste management firm, we’re definitely going to tick all those boxes.”

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ACSS cameras also protect SunSkips’ valuable vehicles from theft and vandalism by keeping an eye on them after the driver has gone home for the night.

Footage can be used for driver training, showing new recruits real-world incidents so they can be prepared for anything, while traffic disputes can easily be settled with four cameras that are unlikely to miss what really happened.

All this is a huge investment on SunSkips’ part and isn’t a legal requirement; not all skip hire firms kit their lorries out with quite so much high-end gear.

But safety is an important part of the company’s values and goes hand-in-hand with the team’s efforts to be as sustainable as possible while delivering great customer service day in, day out.

Maintaining a strong reputation

Mat is proud to be bringing more state-of-the-art vehicles into the SunSkips fleet, decommissioning older vehicles and retrofitting others to bring them up to his high level of safety standards.

He added, “SunSkips isn’t the kind of skip hire company that’s looking to cut corners to save a few quid.

“We have a strong reputation for professionalism in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, so we’re more than happy to invest in vehicle security to make our staff, customers and the public feel confident that we’re looking out for them.”

SunSkips is always looking to the horizon for the latest technology to reduce risks on the road. Get in touch with our friendly sales team to discuss working with a professional skip hire company that takes safety seriously.