
BEST PRACTICE SPONSOR 2020
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
34 | ECOGREEN PLANT HIRE
Another option is wheel washes, which
vary in sophistication from simple
drive-through baths to wash, spray
or bath systems. Issues with these
vary but include excessive water use,
breakdowns, potential contamination
of water courses and, ultimately, the
creation of more mud. Wheel washes
also create a wet smear going out of
site, so road sweepers are still needed.
The more sophisticated types also
use power, which requires fuel and
createsemissions.
So how can we tackle the issue of mud
without any of these shortcomings?
There are devices available called
rumble strips – raised grids for vehicles
to drive over – which are similar to a
long cattle grid and have angle iron
bars that use vibration, tyre flex and
centrifugal force to dislodge mud and
contaminants. However, rumble strips
can clog easily because of the way
they’re designed, and when they clog,
vehicle wheels just pick up more mud
and carry it off-site.
A revolutionary solution
Our DriveOn V-Tech system is also a
raised grid, 20 metres long and three
metres wide, but it has approximately
60 per cent less surface area than
typical rumble strips. The transverse
bars are three centimetres wide and
20 centimetres apart, and they create
more vibration and more tyre flexing
than a conventional rumble strip.
As such, more mud is removed, falling
through into the void below and
preventing the system from clogging.
Wheels aren’t recontaminated, and
much less mud is carried off-site.
We can cite many examples of road
sweepers being made redundant
and sites being allowed to continue
operating because of the deployment
of our system.
Success and growth
The business has been very successful
– one recent three-year period saw
400 per cent growth in turnover, and
we have had to consistently grow our
inventory to keep pace with demand.
In 2013 we had a stock of 20 units;
today, we have 42 units.
We believe, of course, that we have
the best wheel-cleaning solution
available, and we are certain that it
ticks all of the right boxes for our
customers from an environmental
viewpoint. Customers like the simplicity
and effectiveness of the product and
the subsequent savings compared with
their “traditional” wheel-wash or road-
sweeper route.
Overcoming barriers
The main challenge we’ve had is
convincing people to listen to us when
we tell them that our system works.
Management teams have many things
to think about and plan for – much
more complex issues than wheel
cleaning – so we’re not normally high
on their agenda.
This mess would have
been on the road
We’ve had to
consistently
grow our
inventory to
keep pace
with demand
“
“
35ECOGREEN PLANT HIRE |
Secondly, firms tend to be very
conservative, and “this is the way we’ve
always done it” is often the prevailing
mantra. Coupled with that, if they’ve
had previous experience of rumble
strips, we often get bundled into the
same mistrusted and dislikeddrawer.
Our major challenge has been to dispel
that mistrust and show them that we
really do have something different and
that we really can help them.
As a lean-running microbusiness, we’ve
also had challenges with red tape.
Within construction there have been
many legislative developments within
health and safety, modern slavery,
inclusion, and bribery. To comply
with the law, our larger customers in
particular have requested standards
and assurances of our compliance.
Many of the standards don’t apply
to businesses of our size, but even
when that is the case, dealing with
the documentation to establish that
with our customers has been very
timeconsuming.
We do factor certain functions out
to ease pressure, including external
hauliers, a solicitor and an accountant.
There are currently no plans to change
anything that we do, as it’s such a
successful formula. We are asked
regularly if we offer any other products
– maybe the name gives the impression
we do – but we like being a one-trick
pony and see no need to expand into
anything else currently.
One potential change may be
increased staff numbers, particularly on
the sales and operations side, thanks
to our ongoing success.
We really do
have
something
different and
we really can
help
“
“
The system is delivered
and installed by Hiab in
under an hour
Vehicles simply drive
across the grid and exit
the site