On the road in South Africa

Four trailers with a total of 15 BPW axles and suspensions are coupled in series on a traction unit from Unitrans – one of South Africa’s most important vehicle operators. The trailers are loaded with more than 100 tonnes of gypsum raw materials from the mine. “The vehicles are pushed to their limits every day here,” reports Bernd Rhein, responsible for Application Engineering at the Vehicle Systems Business Unit at BPW. Amidst rising clouds of dust, the tyres fight stubbornly through earth and scree, sending stones and rocks flying. The behemoth has another 40 kilometres to go – through a semi-arid area marked by the same challenging road conditions – before it will finally reach a railway station where the gypsum material is loaded onto trains for onward transport.