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The Australian Defence Force has installed new Army-sponsored weighbridge infrastructure at RAAF Base Amberley.
The new infrastructure, reportedly big enough to allow for Defence’s largest vehicle combinations, can calculate axle and total gross weight as a truck drives on in about five minutes. It replaces old weigh scales not compatible with the current Defence MAN truck fleet.
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The base’s disused vehicle wash point was also overhauled with new pumps, pressure hoses and high gantries to clean vehicles.
Operators of local unit 9th Force Support Battalion’s (9FSB) fuel trucks will no longer need to drive to Gallipoli Barracks to fill up with diesel, thanks to a tanker-loading arm installed at the Amberley fuel point.
The opening was a special moment for project sponsor Brigadier Natasha Ludwig. As a former commanding officer of 9FSB, she knew the struggles of operating oversized trucks without appropriate infrastructure.
“Until now, we have had to do our best with a bucket and hose in the overcrowded vehicle yard,” BRIG Ludwig said.
“We’d laboriously weigh every axle with portable scales, use field methods to load up, and then drive a two-hour round trip to bomb-up fuel for deployments, wasting time for many soldiers and assets.”
Major Stephen Anson and Sergeant Darren Upton of 9FSB’s 26 Transport Squadron collaborated with the Estate Works Program contractors Cushman & Wakefield and DDR to design the facilities, including a purpose-built loading ramp.
“The heavy vehicle fleet from 26 Transport Squadron were used to demonstrate issues with the original loading ramp, with videos and measurements taken to assist contractors to improve design,” SGT Upton said.
While the new facilities accommodate the largest MAN truck combinations, all other Defence vehicles can also use them, including those from Royal Australian Air Force units, Joint Logistics Unit, Army and contractor fleets.
The Army Estate Capability Program delivered the infrastructure in partnership with Security and Estate Group, conducting upgrades to accommodate MAN vehicles across the country, including at RAAF bases Townsville and Richmond.
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