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Table of ContentsPurpose.................................................................................................................................................6

Terms of Reference...............................................................................................................................6

Team Responsibilities............................................................................................................................6

Purpose of the Best Practice Guide.......................................................................................................9

Introduction...........................................................................................................................................9

1. Regulation, control of and standards of logistical operations......................................................10

Laws.................................................................................................................................................10

New Vehicle licensing......................................................................................................................10

Annual License Renewal..................................................................................................................11

Obtaining Driving License................................................................................................................11

Regulations for Trucks.....................................................................................................................12

Driving Hours...................................................................................................................................12

Driving Experience...........................................................................................................................13

Recommendations...........................................................................................................................13

2. Drivers, driving hours and recording driver information.............................................................13

Fleet Manager.............................................................................................................................13

Workers.......................................................................................................................................14

Drivers.........................................................................................................................................15

Motivation:..................................................................................................................................16

Training:.......................................................................................................................................16

Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA):.............................................................................16

3. Vehicle Maintenance...................................................................................................................17

Unscheduled service....................................................................................................................18

Scheduled Service........................................................................................................................18

Vehicles defect and breakdown procedure.....................................................................................18

4. Maintenance options...................................................................................................................19

In-house maintenance.....................................................................................................................19

Outsourced maintenance............................................................................................................20

Best solution................................................................................................................................21

Time utilization............................................................................................................................22

Cost reduction.............................................................................................................................23

Space utilization...........................................................................................................................23

Team 1 Class 3 1 / 91

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Wider control...............................................................................................................................23

Spare parts...................................................................................................................................23

6. Weights........................................................................................................................................25

Vehicle weights................................................................................................................................25

Consequences of overloading..........................................................................................................26

Vehicle plates..................................................................................................................................26

Manufacturer’s plate...................................................................................................................27

Ministry plates.............................................................................................................................28

Axle weights....................................................................................................................................28

Diminishing load..............................................................................................................................28

7. Tyre and seatbelt standards........................................................................................................29

Tyres:...............................................................................................................................................29

Tyre condition..................................................................................................................................29

Seatbelts..........................................................................................................................................30

Fleet database.................................................................................................................................30

8. Choice of trucks...........................................................................................................................30

Equipment that should be acquired................................................................................................31

Concrete Mixers..........................................................................................................................31

Concrete Pumps..........................................................................................................................31

Water tank truck..........................................................................................................................32

Equipment not vital to the core business........................................................................................32

Cement Bulker.............................................................................................................................32

Tipper Truck.................................................................................................................................33

Chemical Tanker..........................................................................................................................33

9. Vehicle utilisation........................................................................................................................33

The importance of efficient utilization.............................................................................................33

Tools for Monitoring Utilization:......................................................................................................34

Tachograph..................................................................................................................................34

IT Packages..................................................................................................................................34

Tracking systems..........................................................................................................................34

Vehicle and drivers schedules..........................................................................................................35

Loading Utilization...........................................................................................................................35

Recommendations:..........................................................................................................................35

Vehicle usage...............................................................................................................................36


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Driver involvement......................................................................................................................36

10. Acquiring and hiring additional vehicles..................................................................................37

Financial Considerations..............................................................................................................37

Options available.........................................................................................................................37

Leasing a vehicle from external source............................................................................................37

Adding new vehicles to the fleet.....................................................................................................39

Recommendations:..........................................................................................................................39

11. Fuel management....................................................................................................................40

Fuel type..........................................................................................................................................40

Fuel consumption............................................................................................................................41

Fuelling options...............................................................................................................................41

Internal fueling system................................................................................................................41

External fueling system................................................................................................................42

The recommendation......................................................................................................................43

Focus............................................................................................................................................45

Fewer employees.........................................................................................................................46

Space Utilization..........................................................................................................................46

Controlling the fuel budget..........................................................................................................46

Agency Cards...............................................................................................................................46

Economic fuel use........................................................................................................................47

12. Road traffic accidents..............................................................................................................48

The Bahraini Accident Law...........................................................................................................48

Procedures at an accident scene.................................................................................................49

Information required on the scene..............................................................................................50

Reporting accidents.........................................................................................................................50

Accident reporting procedure.....................................................................................................51

13. Road accident follow up......................................................................................................52

Follow up procedure....................................................................................................................52

Vehicle damage and inspection...................................................................................................52

Claims against drivers..................................................................................................................52

Driver discipline...........................................................................................................................53

Accident analysis.........................................................................................................................53

Reducing accidents......................................................................................................................53

Employers’ responsibility.............................................................................................................54


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Employees’ responsibility............................................................................................................56

Regulations and codes of practice...............................................................................................57

Control of health hazard substances...........................................................................................58

The reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences..................................................59

Vehicle activities..........................................................................................................................59

14. Business and vehicle insurance................................................................................................60

Third party insurance:......................................................................................................................60

Types of insurance:..........................................................................................................................60

Minimum level of covers.............................................................................................................60

Other vehicle-related insurance..................................................................................................60

Other business insurance:...............................................................................................................61

Employer’s liability insurance......................................................................................................61

Public liability insurance..............................................................................................................61

Consequential loss.......................................................................................................................61

Insurance Companies in Bahrain:....................................................................................................61

Bahrain and Kuwait Insurance Company.....................................................................................61

Bahrain National Insurance Company..........................................................................................62

Saudi National Insurance Company.............................................................................................62

Recommendations:..............................................................................................................................62

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................62

Appendix.............................................................................................................................................63

Pictures:...........................................................................................................................................63

Maps:...............................................................................................................................................63

Tables..............................................................................................................................................63

Figures.............................................................................................................................................63

Table of References.............................................................................................................................64

Meeting Minutes.................................................................................................................................67

Meeting 1........................................................................................................................................67

Meeting 2........................................................................................................................................69

Meeting 3........................................................................................................................................71

Meeting 4........................................................................................................................................73

Meeting 5........................................................................................................................................77

Meeting 6........................................................................................................................................79

Meeting 7........................................................................................................................................81


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Meeting 8........................................................................................................................................83

Meeting 9........................................................................................................................................86

Meeting 10......................................................................................................................................88

Power Point Slides...............................................................................................................................91


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The Best Practice Guide

For a Ready Mix

Concrete Plant

Purpose

The aim of writing this best practice guide is to analyse the process of a concrete

factory, describing its daily operations and requirements, then to write a best practice guide

to suggest the methods of operating the equipment, staff and deliveries to ensure the most

efficient decisions are followed.

Terms of Reference

This report is requested by Ms. Lorraine Cowley, a Tutor at Bahrain Polytechnic, as a

Fleet Management course final report, it will be followed by a presentation given in class by

our group.

Purpose of the Best Practice Guide

Fleet means a large number of vehicles usually more than five; a Fleet Management

has a wide range of aspects that need to be practiced perfectly by a company in order to

provide an efficient fleet. It involves the management of the vehicles, maintenance, drivers,

fuel, licensing, and any other points that are relevant to a fleet. This report is a Best


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Practice Guide that will provide detailed information on the best possible way to run an

efficient fleet management for a factory producing ready mix concrete.

Introduction

Many businesses require fleets of trucks and drivers to perform deliveries to the business and to despatch their manufactured good, Bah-Con is a company that produces ready mix concrete that is also responsible to deliver to the customers, and currently depending on a contracted delivery company or Third Party Logistics for their consignments. Bah-Con has come to FAWAZ, a consulting firm in order to perform a study on the feasibility of starting its own logistics department to perform the deliveries.

1. Regulation, control of and standards of logistical operations

Laws

As the laws in Bahrain state that any vehicle to be used on the roads of the Kingdom

should be registered at the General Directorate of Traffic and Licensing, and it is required

from some of the vehicles; depending on the circumstances, to be inspected and checked if

all the needed procedures are applied and followed. Many laws are listed to be followed

whether to be used by individuals or organizations such as:

New vehicle licensing.

Annual Renewal licensing.

Vehicle Export.

Vehicle ownership transfer

Obtaining Driving License (Traffic Law, n.d.)

New Vehicle licensingNewly purchased vehicles for individual or organizational use should be inspected,

checked for the right documentation, and the certificate of road worthiness that proves that


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the vehicle will be used for certain tasks only and a vehicle ownership document identifies

the company or person which would be using it will be issued.

The Bahraini law does not require an Operator’s License; instead the Commercial

Record issued by the Ministry of Commerce is used. (Traffic Law, n.d.)

Annual License RenewalEach vehicle’s license should be renewed annually and that is done by visiting any

post office around the country in order to get the insurance permission for the vehicle to be

driven on the roads of Bahrain, but before visiting the post office the vehicle should be

checked and inspected by the Traffic Directorate and a form should be filled out. (Traffic

Law, n.d.)

Obtaining Driving LicenseFor all individuals driving vehicles on the roads are required to obtain a driving

license in order to work in the country. Many of these laws may differ from one country to

another depending on the population size, previous experiences or many other reasons.

Within Bahrain the rules to be followed are considered to be the very basic laws and

regulations from any other country which can be followed and used around in the GCC (Gulf

Cooperation Council) these laws are to be followed in certain order to obtain the license

needed:

Employee reached the required age set for the certain license needed.

Eyesight test should be given and passed.

Employee should state any disabilities that would prevent him from

driving in accordance to the law.


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Follows exact procedure given to obtain the learners permit.

Any verification of nationality of the person, and in the case of

working under an organization person should present :

Official statement from the government sector he's employed in, or

the private sector company.

Non-Bahrainis should have clearance to live in the country from the

Passport Directorate and should present that evidence to the Traffic Police

Department.

These are the standard requirements for obtaining a learner's permit, and the age

stated for the heavy license 21. After obtaining the learner's permit the person should train

and achieve the points given with a score of 70% or higher which is graded by the examiner.

If the person applies for heavy license and includes a trailer then a trailer would be

connected to a three axle truck used for the test. (Traffic Law, n.d.)

Regulations for TrucksMaximum weight of trucks to be used on the roads of Bahrain is set to be 40 Tonnes

and that is the law as well in all GCC

countries. The topic of legal weights for

trucks will discussed more in chapter six

where the first and second photographs will

be discussed. (Traffic Law, n.d.).

Driving HoursFor every employee working in the

driving shifts for each company's fleet, a


Pic 1: Weight plate issued by the Traffic Police for trucks

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driver should have certain hours to work, any increase in these hours should be considered

as overtime while prolonged working hours may lead to a criminal conviction to the

management of the company.

Minimum hours to work should be around 3 hours, however the driving hours are not taken

into consideration in Bahrain, which might lead to a lot of problems but the company

considers it as overtime and the driver is paid extra for each hour worked more. (LMRA,

2011)

Driving ExperienceWhen the company is employing a driver, they should abide to certain points that

would determine the qualifications of the driver, such as:

Experience.

Training.

Obtaining of a Driving license.

Working permit or certificate. (Traffic Law, n.d.)

RecommendationsEvery company and organization should have completed all the required

documentation needed for the vehicles and the employees, the company can sign a contract

with a document clearing office which is able to complete these tasks for the company for a

fee. (Traffic Law, n.d.)

2. Drivers, driving hours and recording driver informationHuman resources is a core component in any business regardless of its size, a

company like Bah-Con would require these position to be filled, that come with different

sets of responsibilities. (Aloraibi, 2012)


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Fleet ManagerQualifications:

The fleet manager must have a university degree specialize in fleet management and

experience and background about it.

Skills:

Fleet manager require good oral and written communication skills.

A good set of organisational skills are crucial for managing the dominantly

administrative side of the job such as reporting and operations and vehicle schedule.

Proper negotiation skills can be advantageous, since it might advance overall time

and cost reductions.

Responsibilities:

Review and approve vehicle purchasing decisions.

Report vehicle accidents to Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management

Office and disburse insurance proceeds for vehicle repair. (Aloraibi, 2012)

WorkersQualifications:

The plant worker must be at least 21 years of age.

Factory workers must be trained and able to operate the equipment installed

around the plant and on the trucks.

The operators of the equipment must know how to appropriately mix

concrete up to a perfect degree to meet customer requirements.

Skills:


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Workers must be good in customer relations and service.

Time management is a must, since this is a time sensitive product.

Responsibilities:

Take appointments, and making sure of delivering on time.

Manage when the trucks are despatched so that deliveries are done in a timely

manner.

Responsible for the drivers and their schedules. (Aloraibi, 2012)

DriversQualification:

A valid driving licence that covers the type of vehicle intended to

drive.

The Police specifies the age of 25 years as a minimum to obtain a truck

driver’s license.

Experience or training in driving, experience in specialist equipment is preferred.

Skills:

Well trained in driving trucks and operating specialist equipment.

The drivers must know how to deal with the products appropriately.

The drivers should know how and when they should mix the concrete.

Responsibilities:

The drivers must deliver the ready mix in a good condition.

The drivers are responsible for the trucks.


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The divers must deliver the ready mix at the exact time. (Aloraibi,2012)

Motivation: In any organization the motivation is really important, though each fleet manager

must motivate the drivers to work hard and they will be reward. However, in the ready mix

company, the manager awards the drivers if they have transfer the required amount of

concrete. The required amount is to deliver the ready mix 21 times per week for each driver,

and at the 22nd delivery, the driver will get a five Dinar bonus and with each extra delivery

they will get two Dinars for each extra delivery. Furthermore, the manager will award the

best driver of the month with fifty Dinars in addition to their bonus. (AlMuharraqi, 2012).

Training:The fleet drivers must regularly train to know the assets of the work and any ready

mix company should deliver training courses to any new driver or employee that is entering

the company. The aim of the training courses is to make the company’s work professional.

Furthermore, the materials that the drivers deal with are very sensitive, it has a short term

of life and any simple error would affect the materials. However, training makes each driver

aware of:

How to operate the trucks.

How to keep the materials in good condition until they reach the desired

destination.

How to insure the safety of themselves and their immediate surroundings.

(Hammam, 2012)


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Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA):

The Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) is a semi-autonomous

governmental organisation with independent administrative and financial control that acts

as an intermediary between the employers, workers and other government institutions on

employment related issues, through achieving power and authority as a governmental

ministry. (LMRA, 2011).

LMRA’s mission is to set the labour market policies and regulate expat labour

programmes, while achieving the most benefit to the society through fair employment

practices. Since its inception in 2006, the LMRA is responsible for the issue of work visas for

foreign workers, controlling the licenses for man power recruiters and employers; they are

also responsible for all foreign man power applications and visas for non-Bahrainis, with the

collection of finances in regard to foreign workers. (LMRA, 2011).

3. Vehicle Maintenance

The maintenance of the vehicle is

extremely important in any organization, as it is

directly involved with safety which is a very

important factor. Maintenance does not only

mean to repair something when it gets broken

down but also keeping the vehicle in a good

condition at all times is a very big part of the maintenance. There are scheduled and non-

scheduled checks that may be performed by the drivers or the fleet managers.

(CILT – Section 4, 2012)


Pic 3: Mixer truck undergoing engine repair

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The law obligations state that the operators should cover these actions in order to

maintain the Operator’s License:

Unscheduled service

Daily quick vehicle checks by the driver before using the vehicle.

Inspecting the vehicle before delivery when leasing a vehicle.

The defects reports from the drivers should be documented and kept for at least 15

months.

The vehicles are checked regularly to be sure that they are in a road worthy condition

and safe to use.

All defected vehicles should be removed from service immediately until they are

repaired

Scheduled Service

Regular servicing

Periodic inspections

Most of these inspections are mainly done by the drivers and qualified mechanics

and must be recorded in order to avoid any problems for the company. The regular servicing

and the Periodic inspections must be done in the garage under the supervision of the fleet

managers and have to be made depending on usage of the vehicle or the time, it could be

done every 6000 miles or 3 months to comply with the Vehicle specifications. (CILT – Section

4, 2006)


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Vehicles defect and breakdown procedure

The drivers must immediately report any defects found in the vehicle when checking

the vehicle at the beginning of the day before starting the trip. The driver should be trained

on vehicle breakdowns in case any failure occurs in the vehicle while it is on the trip, drivers

must follow a list of steps to ensure their safety, the safety of the goods, property of others,

as well as the other road users. (CILT – Section 4, 2006)

4. Maintenance options

Every organization has the option to either to have its maintenance internally which

means within the same company and with its own employees or externally which involves a

third party which takes care of the maintenance procedure of the organizations. (CILT –

Section 5, 2006)

This decision depends on many factors but the main determining factors for

maintenance decisions are:

Budget.

Fleet size.

Size of organization.

Efficient administration. (CILT – Section 5, 2006)

In-house maintenance

Depending on In-house maintenance allows the company to have its own garage and

employees in the company to take care of its vehicle fleet at all times and be in charge of its

performance.


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The benefits of an In-house maintenance are:

More control over the maintenance in terms of vehicle priority, and availability of

the garage (could operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

Less cost, as no profit has to be paid for any third party companies.

Faster maintenance; takes less time to get the vehicles to the garage.

Collection of performance data on the staff.

Efficient level of cooperation between the mechanics and the fleet managers.

(The Advantages of In-house Fleet Management, 2012)

Some of the Disadvantages of in-house maintenance can be:

Very efficient Human resource Department needed (means extra cost).

Bigger space will be required for the garage.

Traffic congestion inside the company.

Higher labour cost, in wages. (The Advantages of In-house Fleet Management, 2012)

Outsourced maintenance

The other type of maintenance is the Outsourced maintenance which involves a

third party garage to take care of the maintenance of the vehicles, which means that the

company is not involved in any of the procedures related to maintaining the fleet.

The benefits of having Outsourced Maintenance are:

Improved human resource productivity; fewer employees are needed.

Fewer departments.

Focus on the main services provided.


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Space utilization: less space is needed for maintenance.

Reduction of risk: the third party has the full responsibility of the car while it is in

their garage. (Why Outsource your Fleet Management, 2012)

The drawbacks of an outsourced maintenance system are:

Failure to negotiate for a best price: the external providers can be charging very

high rates.

Less control over the maintenance (in terms of speed and quality)

Wasting valuable time while getting the defected vehicle transported from the

company to the outsourced garage.

(Advantages, Disadvantages and types of contract In House Management, N.D)

Best solution

For the best solution that serves Bah-Con with the best possible outcome, it is

recommended that Bah-Con Company uses both in-house and outsourced maintenance

depending on the type of the issues that may arise.

Bah-Con could use a small garage as an In-house maintenance for the small body

parts of the vehicles that are uncomplicated and have to be changed regularly.

These body parts can be:

Tyres.

Light bulbs.

Oil change (has to be changed every 250 hours).

Fuses.


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Mirror glasses.

Windshield wiper blades.

Battery replacement.

Other small and uncomplicated parts.

When it comes to complicated mechanics of the vehicle that might not be changed

regularly and problems with the concrete mixers and pumps which need specialized

expertise, the company could send the vehicles to a contracted third party who has to reach

to an agreement to repair the vehicles at the most convenient price or the vehicle could also

be sent directly to their agency if a better offer is given to repair the vehicles.

The defects that can be repaired by the third party could be:-

Engine problems.

Bearings defects.

Gear problems.

Chassis problems.

Problems with the pumps.

Problems in the cement mixers.

Any irregular complicated maintenance.

With this method the company is expected to save a lot of money as it is going to

start with relatively a small fleet at the beginning and the company would save huge

amounts of money that would be spent on unnecessarily services if company chose to use

another method for the maintenance.

This recommended method could provide these benefits:


Pic 4: Faulty Truck Engine

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Time utilization

Small scale maintenance is done inside the company, which means the vehicles

could be repaired at the same time and the same place without being transported to other

locations for repairs.

Cost reduction

This is the most important benefit, less employees are going to be needed for the

maintenance as only small parts are going to be repaired inside the company and that

would increase the ability of the workers to cover more vehicles in a shorter time span.

Another major benefit is that the third party companies would charge the company with

large fees for the minor services that the company could do on its own with much less

costs.

Space utilization

The company is going to need a small garage because only minor maintenance is

done internally and this means that the company does not need a huge space for the garage

which is an advantage as the company could use the extra space for other purposes.

Wider control

The regular maintenance of the vehicles can be controlled by the company in the means of

speed and the priority of each vehicle but however, the major maintenance would not be

controlled by the company.

All of these benefits have direct impact on the profit of the company which is the only

reason for a company to continue its business. (CILT – Section 5, 2006)


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Spare parts

It is always a good idea if necessary spare parts are always available in the company so that

the vehicles could be repaired without any delays. However, a company should purchase

the spare parts wisely as the parts bought may not be always needed or used at a later time

which may result as an inventory cost and depreciation of the purchased parts. Other

problems that may occur is when the company buys a small quantity of spare parts that may

not cover the maintenance services for all the vehicle and this will lead to delays in the

productivity of the company.

As we recommended earlier, that Bah-Con is going to use an in-house maintenance for the

small parts, the company has to buy some spare parts to utilize time and cost. The spare

parts we recommend the Bah-Con to buy the parts that are not very expensive and must be

changed regularly and be kept in the inventory until needed.

These are the recommended spare parts to be purchased and be available in the inventory

at all time:-

Tyres.

Batteries.

Bulbs.

Fuses.

Glasses.

Brakes.

All of these body parts must be replaced

immediately when diagnosed with defects as they could put the safety of the driver,


Pic 5: Roadworthy tyre (L) & Defected Tyre (R)

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products and other people in danger when not replaced. For example, a flat tyre will cause

the car to have bad handling which may lead to accidents or if the tail lights are damaged,

the car could be stopped by the traffic police and a ticket could be issued for violating the

law.

Bah-Con is recommended to Contract with an external provider that could provide spare

parts that are not available in the company’s stock. Spare parts that may not be needed in a

short time span or are only needed only when the original parts are broken, could be

provided from the external providers at a convenient time and price when required.


6. WeightsThe traffic laws in Bahrain and Gulf Cooperation States prohibit trucks to be driven

on the road if they surpass a maximum total weight, which is a potential hazard that will

have severe consequences. (CILT – Section 6, 2006).

Vehicle weightsThere may be severe consequences for overloading vehicles beyond the capacity

they were designed for, some of the problems that may arise from overloading a vehicle can

be:

An incorrectly loaded vehicle is a possible death hazard to the drivers and

the other users of the road. The very basic essentials for road safety may fail

as a consequence, the brakes on the truck might be impaired, power may

not be effectively delivered due to excess weight, the tyres may explode, or

the chassis parts and suspension systems may fail in operating properly.


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The roads in Bahrain are built to withstand a truck up to the weight of 40

tonnes, beyond which the roads will be damaged and the repair of the road

is quite expensive.

An overloaded truck may bring a heavy fine for the operator and bring a

criminal conviction to individuals, with the possibility of operating license

being withdrawn. (Truckers Report, n.d.)

The equipment for the transport of concrete are designed with weight limitations for

delivery of the products since they have limited capacities of carrying and handling the

concrete in a way that meets local regulations.

Consequences of overloadingA study conducted by the South

African authorities in 1996 showed that 33%

of the trucks weighed on the country’s motor

ways were overloaded; with an estimated

20% of the trucks on the roads at a given time are carrying loads beyond their capacity, this

is costing the state around 60% of the roads budget on fixing that damage (such as the

damage seen in the picture below), while heavier vehicles increase the damage on roads, as

can be seen in the table. (CSIR, 1997)

Table showing how heavy trucks proportionally increase the damage on roads

Vehicle Type % on the roads Result of Damage

Passenger Cars – Almost Negligible

Legally Loaded Trucks 80 – 85 % 40 %

Overloaded Trucks 15 – 20 % 60 %

Tab 1: (CSIR, 2007 – Page 5)


Pic 6: Road damaged by heavy trucks

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Many deaths occur each year due to trucks being overloaded, an American report

estimated that 78% of fatalities in these accidents were motorists in other vehicles, and 15%

of them being the truck drivers. (Smart Motorist, n.d.)

Vehicle platesAccording to the traffic regulations in Bahrain, all heavy equipment must be fitted

with tamper-proof weight plates for each axle provided by the regulating authorities and

sticker provided by the manufacturer showing the weight distribution that each axle is

designed to withstand. (Traffic Law, n.d.)

The regulations are set for the trucks that are to be used on the roads of Bahrain,

such as:

Weight on the axles

Travel speed

Plate that shows the details of the truck such as :

Total weight of all axles

Trailer number

Weight of each axle

The permit print

Manufacturer’s plateTruck manufacturers place weight limit stickers on the inner side of the driver

door that is fitted on all trucks

they manufacture to show what

their trucks can legally carry and

not cause damage to part of the

truck, this is called the design


Pic 7: manufacturer GCW data for the 3 axles and weights

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limit of the truck and the weight shown on the plate is called the gross

construction weight (GCW), in the photo the tractor is only designed to carry 13

tonnes per driving axle. (CILT, 2006)


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Ministry plates The Traffic Department in Bahrain issues three tamper-proof metallic plates

for each truck, where one is fixed on the

tractor chassis and two on both sides of the

trailer, they specify the weight carrying limits

for each axle and how the weight should

legally be distributed, the plate contains the

plate number of the truck and the license

expiration date, it is also called the gross

vehicle weight (GVW), which is the legal weight an axle can carry that the road is built to

carry with the least damage. (Traffic Law, n.d.)

Axle weightsThe roads in Bahrain were designed to carry a maximum weight of 13 tonnes per

axle, beyond which the roads may get damaged and their structural design life may

significantly be reduced. The equipment used to transport and pump concrete are designed

as to not carry any extra load beyond the capacity they are designed to carry, therefore the

distribution of axle weights will not be issue. (CSIR, 1997)

Diminishing loadDiminishing load may be a problem for many transport businesses but it is not an

issue with transporting concrete since the manufacturers of concrete equipment and water

tanks build them with limited capacities and with balanced axle weights, so such regulations

may not be applicable to the business since there is only one drop off per load.



Pic 8: GVW limits on a 40 tonne, 4 axle truck

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7. Tyre and seatbelt standardsTruck tyres have to be inspected regularly to make sure that they are in a legal and

road worthy condition as to not cause expensive damages, substantial fines or even loss of

lives, the regular monitoring of the condition of the tyres is important especially checking

the tyre inflation and the legality of the tyre conditions. (CILT – Section 7, 2006)

Tyres:Defected tyres are illegal to drive with as they can be a threat to the products, the

driver, the truck and most importantly the other road users and property near the truck, so

by law truck drivers are required to check the following regularly:

The tyre tread depth is more than 1.0 mm deep.

The outer wall or the fabric of the tyre is not broken, if any damage happens it may

reach inside the tyres and blow it up, causing a disaster.

Insufficient inflation and over inflation, since it may have serious consequences.

There is no bulge or a lump from the tyre structure being separated.

Section of the cord cannot be exposed for any reason.

The tyre should be suitable for the truck wheel size and type of work the vehicle is

performing.

The tread pattern may not be visible. (CILT – Section 7, 2006)

Tyre conditionThe condition of truck tyres should checked very often with a reliable tyre gauge as

to maintain optimum performance conditions, and there should be spare tyres readily

available as concrete trucks are used in construction sites, where nails and bits of wood are

lying around the work site. (CILT – Section 7, 2006)


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SeatbeltsIt is mandatory in the Bahraini Traffic Law for any driver of any vehicle to be wearing

a seat belt at all times, although it is a procedure not followed by many truck drivers in the

country. A study published by James Madison University has found that only 14% of

motorists use seat belts. (James Madison University, 2004)

Many companies are now buying GPS systems installed on the trucks with built in

belt detectors that send a message to the control room if a driver does not have their

seatbelt on and send a warning to remind them of the disciplinary action taken against them

for not complying with regulations. (CILT – Section 7, 2006)

Fleet databaseIt is important for big companies to maintain a database for their fleet so that they

can consolidate orders if it may be necessary and compare fuel economy figures as well as

retrieving maintenance records and plan further changes if they are required.


8. Choice of trucksMercedes-Benz is considered by many logistics services providers as the most

reliable trucks in the region and the least depreciating in resale value, some of their

loyal customers include Haji Hassan Group, National Ready Mix and Redex concrete

companies; they are also used by Agility, FedEx and the Bahrain Defence Force for

long-distance heavy haulage. Al Haddad Motors have been distributors for Mercedes

vehicles since 1958; they have provided reliable services through the years and

always had parts in stock since they are in high demand. (Al Haddad, n.d.) & (Ahmed,

2012).


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The concrete plants includes some equipment that are vital for its core operations

and others that are secondary and that are usually outsourced by the supplier, if

they are bought in bulk quantities:

Equipment that should be acquired

Concrete MixersConcrete mixers are trucks with large rotating metallic drums that are used to mix

the concrete as to not dry up for a

limited time. A Mercedes-Benz

concrete mixer truck with a Liebherr

8 cubic metre capacity mixer weighs

40 tonnes when loaded and costs

approximately 52,000 Bahraini

Dinars, laws in Bahrain allow 8mᶟ to

be fitted on 40 tonne tractors to prevent road damage, as can be highlighted in the

fourth photograph.

Liebherr concrete mixers are the best-selling concrete mixer in the Gulf region; they

are also the easiest mixers to maintain since there are more mechanics trained on

this brand than any other.

Concrete Pumps A concrete pump is

needed to deliver the concrete from

the mixer to where it is needed in the

construction site; the common pumps

come with a range between 12 and 72

metres in height. Concrete pumps are


Pic 10: Schwing 42 metre concrete pump on a tractor

Pic 9: Liebherr Mixer installed on a MAN tractor

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very expensive where a Schwing 42 metre pump fixed on a Mercedes-Benz tractor

can cost 250,000 Bahraini Dinars and requires highly trained professionals to

maintain the pump.

Schwing is a company that is held in high regard when it comes to the manufacture

of concrete pumps in Bahrain, it is the easiest brand for pumps to find mechanics for.

Water tank truck according to the

law in Bahrain, concrete can only be

mixed using recycled water from the

treatment plant in Tubli, so the

factory must need a water truck to

transport the water needed for

making concrete. A water tank would

cost a minimum of 5,000 Bahraini Dinars and is brought from Saudi Arabia and can fit

a Mercedes-Benz tractor.

Equipment not vital to the core business

Cement Bulker A cement bulker is

used to carry dry cement powder from

the factory or the wholesaler to where

ever it may be needed in large

quantities; cement wholesalers in

Bahrain (Falcon Cement, Star Cement,

and United Cement Company) deliver their products at no cost to consumers. A

bulker trailer may cost 16,000 Dinars to manufacture.


Pic 11: Water tank truck for recycled water

Pic 12: cement bulker trailer on a Volvo tractor

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Tipper Truck used to carry sand, rock

and aggregate vital for the

manufacture of concrete, it can be

made in Saudi Arabia for around

12,500 Dinars and can be installed on

a Mercedes Actros tractor. A tipper

can be seen in picture 14 in the

discharge position and with the rear discharge door closed.

Chemical Tanker used to transport

liquid chemicals used to enhance the

strength or speed up the drying time

for the concrete, the trucks should be

clearly marked with hazard symbols, if

they may be explosive or corrosive.

(Traffic Law, n.d.)

Picture fifteen shows an appropriately labelled truck on three sides for the content in

the load – an explosive liquid chemical.


Pic 13: Tipper in the discharge position

Pic 14: Chemical tanker labelled appropriately

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9. Vehicle utilisation

The importance of efficient utilizationIn order for the company to be successful, it must ensure that it gains more profit

than the cost of the operation. No business would survive if they didn’t get enough revenue

to cover their cost, to keep their business going they must use the resources they got in the

best use possible.

As Bah-Con is planning to set up their own transport fleet, the company should really

take in consideration the utilization of the vehicles. The company should always use their

assets in the best way possible economically and in the same time should always keep an

eye on the customer’s needs and demands and always try to satisfy them.


Tools for Monitoring Utilization: Tachograph: this tool is very effective and could help the fleet manager in many

ways; this tool is able to give the fleet manager information about the delays, driver

performance. Unfortunately, such a tool is not used in Bahrain.

IT Packages: this tool would help in many ways; it would make the fleet

management much easier. Below is the information that this package would

provide:

Performance trend: results of each driver performance and the fuel wasted.

Maintenance planning: when the vehicles will be maintained.


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Tracking systems: this tool made it possible to track the vehicles anywhere they are

and at any time. It shows the driving speed of the vehicle, the stops of it and the

loading.

Before Bah-Con chooses the system to use,

the company must ensure that the system is easy to use, easy to access and it gives accurate

information. (CILT – Section 8, 2006)

Vehicle and drivers schedulesThere is a simple tool and very effective to use which is the basic vehicle

employment chart. It is an important tool for observing the use of time.

This chart helps the operator to:

Get the information easily about the scheduling of the vehicles.

Make the maximum use of vehicles.

Maintenance planning according to the mileage.

Balance the utilization of the vehicle and

equal the mileage. (CILT – Section 8, 2006)

Loading UtilizationEfficient utilization takes more than just being on the road for more than 15 hours

per day, It is also about loading vehicles to maximum capacity, which means the revenue

the company will get from this load must covers the cost of the operation and the fuel. It is

hard to do as the customers demand varies from one to another, the company must

transport their orders with the existing fleet.


Pic 15: GPS tracking software

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There are methods that help in the capacity utilization, below are two of the most

helpful methods:

Waybill analysis.

Driver involvement.

Recommendations: It is recommended for all companies that operate fleets to use GPS tracking programs, such as STS, which stands for Smart Tracking System. Which Bah-Con can use to track their trucks, this system will help in providing:

Trip report. Speed violation report. Stoppage report. Delivery report. Operation period report. Weekly and monthly reports.

The cost of this system is BD 130 for installation on each truck. The STS Company will maintain the tracking system every month and it will cost BD 7 per truck and send real-time reports to any computer with internet. (Hammam, 2012)

Vehicle usage the operator should

always be updated if all the vehicles are

preforming well, if not vehicles should be removed to save the fuel and insurance costs.

Driver involvement the drivers

are the staff facing the customers onsite, the drivers are the first to know the customer’s

reaction. The fleet manager should motivate the driver to become more involved in many

ways. The drivers could suggest new improvements to the planning of the route, planning of

the loading. The manager should keep in consideration that the drivers would hesitate to

take this move, for many reasons:


Pic 16: STS Tracking Program

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They think that they are not allowed.

They might thing that it not their role.

They might thing that no one will listen to their opinion.

The manager should try to overcome such hesitations:

Explain to the driver that his involvement is important.

Give rewards to those who get involved and give valuable

information.

Show the driver that their voice is impotent to listen to. (CILT – Section 8, 2006)

10. Acquiring and hiring additional vehiclesWhen customers are satisfied with the service they will start to demand more, also,

the company’s customers may bring new customers. As Bah-Con has limited resources, the

company must study the decision of adding vehicles to the fleet.

Financial Considerations The first thing the company must consider before the specification of the vehicle is

the cost. Bah-Con should know that the cheapest vehicle is not always the best option. An

expensive vehicle that would be used for a long term may turn to be cheaper and more

reliable. The concept of life cycle costing should be used to make the decision of purchasing

easier. (CILT – Section 9, 2006)

Options availableWhen the customer demand increases and the company needs to add vehicles to the fleet,

the best to options are either:

Leasing a vehicle from external source.


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Adding new vehicle to the fleet. (CILT – Section 9, 2006)

Leasing a vehicle from external sourceBelow are the advantages and disadvantages of leasing a vehicle:

Advantages of leasing a vehicle Disadvantages of leasing a vehicle

Limited Liability: the company will only pay for the vehicle they are using.

The company would never own the vehicle.

Less Maintenance cost: the contract of leasing may cover the maintenance cost, as the warranty does.

If the company would use the leased vehicle for a long time it would cost more than buying a new vehicle.

Easier Credit Approval: to lease a vehicle means less paid monthly which can get the loan for financing easily.

If the vehicle gets seriously damaged, it would cost the company a lot.

The company could change the vehicles features according to the demand of the customers.

The company can only drive an average number of miles and if the company exceeded the miles, the hiring company will charge for the extra mileage.

Tab 2: Advantage and Disadvantages of Leasing Vehicles (CILT – Section 9, 2006)

When Bah-con decides to lease a vehicle from an external source, the company

should ask for full details of the rental contract and study the conditions carefully, they

should study the features they want in the vehicle, for example, if Bah-Con have lack in

mixer trucks or pumps, the size of the needed vehicle is also an important factor to

consider.

Also, the company should never accept the any vehicle without examining it very

well and check if there is any internal or external damage, plus, the hired vehicle should go


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through a safety test before the vehicle starts the service, as the hiring company will not be

responsible for any flaw that happens during the service in the road.

It is good to look for cheap leasing company to save money, but Bah-con should take

in consideration the reputation of the leasing company and always remember that the

cheap vehicle might not always be the best option for the long term.

When the rental contract ends, the hiring company will always check the vehicle to

see if it got damaged or not while it was in use, which is why it is better if the Bah-Con

checked the vehicle before the hire off procedures to ensure that the company does not pay

for damage that is not caused by Bah-Con staff. (CILT – Section 9, 2006)

Adding new vehicles to the fleetBelow are the advantages and disadvantages of buying a vehicle:

Advantages of buying a vehicle Disadvantages of buying a vehicle

The company owns the vehicle. It costs a lot: the monthly payments are higher than leasing.

The company has an unlimited mileage; it does not have to pay for the extra distance.

Maintenance of vehicles is expensive.

The procedures are less complicated. Unexpected costs when the warranty is over.

Tab 3: Advantages and disadvantages of buying vehicle. (CILT – Section 9, 2006)

Bah-Con must study the decisions of buying new vehicles wisely, because once it has

bought the vehicle, it is expensive to retract the decision. The company should study the

customer’s demand, also, the company should ask themselves if they will need the vehicle

for a very long time or just a period of time, for example: would the demand remain for a

considerable amount of time, or it is just a project that finishes after a period of time and

when it is done the vehicle won’t be needed anymore.


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Recommendations: The best recommended practice is:

If the vehicle is needed for a short term, the choice of leasing is always better

that buying new vehicle. For example: if there is a project that would last for

several of months, it is preferred that Bah-Con would lease a vehicle.

If the vehicle is needed for a long term, the choice of buying a new vehicle is

always better, it would be a loss to lease a vehicle and pay the rent for a long

time without owning it in the end. For example, if Bah-Con is planning to expand

their fleet or they are planning in renewing their fleet.

11. Fuel management

Fuel is costly and defined as a high operating cost for the company. That why it is

very important to have an efficient fuelling

system that will increase the revenues of the

company. However, fuel management in

Bahrain might not have the same impact as it

has Europe because of the huge difference in

the fuel price, were it is really expensive in

Europe and relatively cheap in Bahrain but

that does not mean that fuel management is any less important for Bahraini companies.

With the correct fuel management, the company could save a lot of unnecessary costs and

increase the income. (CILT – Section 11, 2006)


Pic 17: BAPCO Fuel Station in Isa Town

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Fuel type

The fuel used for the vehicles can be either Petrol or Diesel. However, it is a good

idea to have all the vehicles running on the same type of fuel to avoid confusions and

complexity. It is recommended for the company to operate on Diesel rather than Petrol for

three main reasons:

Diesel is close in price to Petrol (Diesel for 100 Fils per litre, and petrol is for 80 Fils per

litre), and is more economical and drives for a much longer distance per litre. (Petrol

Prices in Bahrain, 2012)

All of the heavy trucks in Bahrain operate on Diesel.

Diesel is available in most of the fuel stations in Bahrain. (CILT – Section 11, 2006)

Fuel consumption

The Mercedes Actros fuel tank has the capacity to contain 250 litres of diesel. This

vehicle consumes and average of 27.5 liters of diesel per 100 km depending on the use of

vehicle. It would cost 25 Dinars to fill up the fuel tank and it would take approximately 909

km to empty the tank. (0.100 BD × 250 Lt. = 25 BD) (100 KM × 250 Lt. ÷ 27.5 KM ≈ 909 KM)

(Al Haddad Motors, 2012)

Fuelling options

The company has the option to provide refueling points for it vehicles internally or

externally. Internally means that the fuel station must be inside the company and must be

managed by the company’s staff while externally means that the fuel stations are outside

the company and the fuel is provided by a third party provider. (CILT – Section 11, 2006)


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Internal fueling system

With this option, the entire vehicle refueling process will be done inside the

company and under their own supervision. This means that the company would have a fuel

station onsite and provide Diesel for its fleet of vehicles.

Benefits of using an internal fueling system are:

Time Utilization: easier access to the station (the fuel station is inside the plant).

Less cost: the fuel would be bought in bulk from the supplier, which will cost less.

Faster service time: the station is devoted only to the company thus services will be

provided faster than a normal fuel station.

Control the amount of fuel every vehicle consumes in a time span, fuel data keys could

be used.

Drawbacks of using internal fueling system are:

Large space is needed.

Extreme precautions have to be taken to keep the site tidy and prevent any spillage as it

may cause major accidents.

Congestion and pollution may be occurred inside the company.

Larger administration needed

The fuel stock my run out before expected which will cause major problems.

Higher insurance rates: as the risks of accidents is more. (CILT – Section 11, 2006)

External fueling system

This option allows the company to refuel their vehicles outside the company and

contract a third party to supply their vehicles with fuel using their service stations. The


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company and the third party could agree on a contract that will serve the company’s

vehicles with fuel.

The benefits of this method:

Less space needed: as there will not be any space needed for the fuelling stations inside

the company.

Fewer employees needed: there won’t be any employees in charge of the tankers and

the fuel station.

Focus on the core business of the company.

Record the fuel consumption of the vehicles: by using agency cards.

If one fuel station is out of work or has low fuel stock, then an alternative station could

be used for refueling.

The drawbacks of this method:

Time and fuel wasting; it would take time and consume fuel in order to get the vehicles

from the company’s site to the service station.

Fuel is more expensive: as the fuel is not bought in bulk, and the station calculates

profit.

The nearest fuel station may be out of action for a certain period of time.


The recommendation

Between the two methods, it is recommended that the company uses an internal

fuelling system to provide fuel for its vehicles. We recommend Bah-con to sign a contract

with BAPCO (Bahrain Petroleum Company) to provide fuel for the company’s vehicles.


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BAPCO is the first choice because they are the main providers of fuel in Bahrain and have

the most number of fuel stations (16 stations spread around Bahrain). Bah-Con operates

only in Bahrain which means that the vehicles are never expected to leave Bahrain, thus

they could access to the contracted fuel stations easily. BAPCO also provides this kind of

services and are familiar with it which means that they are the best choice. (Bahrain Service

station Media, N.D)

A map of Bahrain showing the location of the company and the locations of all the 16

service stations that are owned by BAPCO is located below. The location of Bah-con is in

Salmabad which is almost in the middle of Bahrain, and that makes the fuel stations more

accessible to the vehicles. We recommend dividing the vehicles depending on their routes

whether going north or south. The vehicle going up north must end their journey by passing

through the Sehla Service Station on their way back to the company to refuel with Diesel.

The vehicles going south have to pass through the Isa Town service station on their way

back at the end of their journey to refuel the vehicle and then park it in the company. The

two main refueling points of the vehicles are going to be Sehla and Isa Town service stations

while the other stations can be used when necessary. Drivers must also avoid going to the

service stations at the peak hours to avoid time wasting time as the cement products have a

short life span of approximately three hours. The peaking hours in Bahrain are in the

morning between 07:00 – 08:00, in the afternoon between 13:00 – 14:00 and in the evening

between 16:00 – 19:00. (Trip Generation time, N.D).


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Map of BAPCO Fuel Stations and their locations relative to Bah-Con

Map 1: Where BAPCO Fuel Stations are located in Bahrain

The reasons for recommending the internal fuelling system over the external are:

Focus

It would be hard to focus on the main services of the company if the company is has

its own fuelling system that needs managing and controlling and that might disturb the

concentration of the administration. (CILT – Section 11, 2006)


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Fewer employees

If the company uses the internal fuelling system then it has to employ more staff to

manage and control the tankers as it is very dangerous to keep that area unmaintained, thus

having an external fuelling system would be more convenient for Bah-con Company.


Space Utilization

Because the company is going to give away a big space to build the garage for the

maintenance inside the company, it will be a waste of valuable space to also use another big

area assigned for the fuel stations. By deciding not to build a fuel station inside the

company, the space could be used for other departments and purposes. (CILT – Section 11,

2006)

Controlling the fuel budget

Using the agency cards to record the payments of fuel for every vehicle by stating

the time and date of every transaction and the company could control how much fuel every

vehicle is allowed to consume per month. (CILT – Section 11, 2006)

Agency Cards

Most third party fuel providers give their customers agency cards that are similar to

credit cards and are used when refueling the vehicle. Each vehicle has its own card and the

drivers hand it to the fuel station workers to get their vehicles refueled and the card records

the amount of fueled purchased and the total amount is sent to the fleet manager for

payment over a period of time.


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BAPCO provides these agency cards which are named Sadeem Cards which allow

their customers to pay for their fuel in advance or pay on credit, currently the Sadeem Card

can be used in eight of the sixteen service stations operated by BAPCO, but more stations

are added every month. It is recommended that the company uses the postpaid cards as the

payments could be done every month and a budget analysis could be done by the manager.

The Sadeem Card can be used by the fleet managers for fuel tracking which allows them to

view their fuel consumption and control the budget used for the fuel. (BAPCO Launches

Smart Card Fuel Cards, 2012)

Economic fuel use

The fleet managers should make sure that the fuel is consumed economically and

the best consumption per killometre is achieved to increase the profits of the company. The

rate of the fuel consumption depends on the driver and the mechanical problems in the

vehicle.

The reason for a bad fuel mileage could be:-

Mechanical problems in the Fuel Pumps and the Injector.

Air leaks and bad tyre pressure of the vehicles.

Incorrect loading and unloading of the vehicles.

Leaving the engine running while the vehicle is on idle.

Misuse of the vehicle; incorrect gear changing and driving speed.

Using inconvenient routes.

Pilferage of the fuel by the drivers.

However, there some precautions and methods to improve the mpg which are:-


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Checking the vehicles once in a while to make sure that it does not have any mechanical

problems.

Providing training for the drivers to avoid these mistakes.

Motivation: by giving a bonus to the drivers with the best fuel consumption of their

vehicles.

Using navigators to take the most convenient routes.

Using a fuel tracking system to prevent pilferage; eg: agency cards.


12. Road traffic accidents

The Bahraini Accident Law

Accidents are a certain happening in each company of any type. Therefore, Bahrain

enforces strict rules and regulation for the accidents procedures. Moreover, according to

the UK Road Traffic Act 1968, an accident reports as an accident in several terms;

If another vehicle is affected by the accident.

If public properties or adjacent to the road are damaged.

If a person other than the driver is affected by the accident.

If any particular animals other than those who are carried in or on the

vehicle are injured.

Nevertheless, according to the law, the driver of the vehicle is involved with the

accident in spite of the situation, which means that even though is the vehicle was affected

by an accident without the driven in it, he will be legally involved.

However, there are several actions that should be taken if an accident occurs;


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In a case of injury or there was inability of exchanging details at the

scene, the accident should be reported to the police within 24 hours at least.

Details of the accident must be completed with a sketch is possible.

The vehicle shouldn’t be use before checking, and the accurately

defect must be reported. (CILT – Section 12, 2006)

Procedures at an accident scene

The drivers of the company should be informed with the instruction of how to deal if

an accident happened. At first, the driver should never admit its fault, because there are

some facts that may not be recognized which have involved to the accident. For instance;

Mechanical reasons or maintenance failure.

There might be illegally procedures such as; driver of the other vehicle may not be

licensed or the vehicle might be stolen or without insurance or an MOT certificate.

Moreover, the other driver may also be drunk or under drugs affection.

The driver may take the responsibility of the accident when it is not his fault.

Additionally, if a minor accident happened, the driver should do the following;

Stop the vehicle directly.

Give the essential information to the other driver, such as; name, work address,

vehicle registration number and any other details of the business if available.

Try to get any details possible from the other driver or any witness of the accident.

If any damages occurred to the vehicle, contact the operating centre.

Contact the manager immediately if any delay might happen.


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The driver should stay with the vehicle as possible or lack the doors and windows to

ensure the safety of the load and vehicle.

The journey can only be carried on if they insured the safety of the vehicle and that

the damages are not serious.


Information required on the scene

Recording information is the most important procedure, so the driver should get as

much information as possible. The main information that needs to be recorded is;

Name and address of the other driver, the vehicle owner and the witness.

Vehicle's registration number

Insurance company's name

The specific information of both vehicles damages.

There is also other information that needs to be mentioned, such as;

Locations at the time of the accident.

The vehicle's direction and the speed of travel.

The signs and signals that given in the road.

The weather and lighting conditions.

Reporting accidentsThe accident must be reported to both the police and the insurance company by

following the mentioned procedures in the previous sections.


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Accident reporting procedure

The driver should be informed with the importance of having a clear defined report with the exact details of the accident. Moreover, there are several reasons for the high importance of the accident reporting procedure. These reasons are:

Non-reporting of accidents can be identified legally as a crime.

The reporting statement can be use later for other terms of legal procedures. For example,the information mentioned in the report can be useful for disagreements situations.

Any further arguments can be handled easily without difficulty.

The manager would be informed with all the necessary information, which will support the driver to be defended by the business manager and to constitute any damages for the vehicle.

In addition, the manager of the company should witness the accident by visiting the accident scene. The form of the report should also be filling by the driver or the manager with considering the following:

Filling as much detail as possible with clear explanation.

Filling all the section of the form, if any data is not applied, the manager or the driver should put N/A (not applicable) next to the required data.

The explanation should be in a formal way with no flippant or rude acts.

Finally, the most important step into the reporting procedure is to inform the insurer company as soon as possible, with providing the necessary information such as; the telephone number, date of the accident and the complete report of the accident.

(CLIT- Section 12, 2006) & (Vames, P., 2009)


Fig 1: Traffic report issued by the State of Nebraska, USA

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13. Road accident follow up

Follow up procedure

After completing the reporting procedure, the company should follow some

processes to reduce the risks and the damages that may result in bad reputation to

the company. (CILT – Section 13, 2006)

Vehicle damage and inspection

One of the main processes after an accident is checking the involved vehicle

and examines its ability for roadworthiness. The maintenance shouldn’t be only

depended on the driver approximation, because some damages may not be obvious,

such as damage to the brake pipes. (CILT – Section 13, 2006)

Claims against drivers

The company basically will take the full responsibility of the accident's

damages that were caused by the driver of the company during the working period.

Moreover, the company is responsible for any damaged items or products.

Therefore, the driver should inform the manager directly if they receive claim for

damages or a notice of intended prosecution.

Additionally, the company is only responsible for the driver during its duty

hours, so any outside behaviour of the driver will be won't be involved with the

company. For example; using the vehicle without permission will result in,

unacceptable insurance and the driver will also be uninsured.



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Driver discipline

When a driver involves in an accident, the manager should consider the driver's

discipline, when he should determine whether the driver remain in his position or to

be dismissal from the job.

As a consultant, the driver shouldn’t be judged basing on an accident. On the other

hand, the manager should also consider the safety of the surrounded environment.

Moreover, irresponsible driver can result in bad reputation to the company and

inefficient security of the customer's goods, which therefore leads to increasing the

risks and the costs of the damaging for the company.

Finally, the manager should make a well-organized assessment to evaluate the driver

and then decide if he deserves to stay and continue its job or to be release from the

position.

Accident analysis

The company is recommended to have an accident analysis from time to

time, to evaluate its accidents causes and the vehicles and drivers involved in the

accidents. This analysis can be useful in improving the driving procedure and to

reduce future possible accidents. (CILT – Section 13, 2006)

Reducing accidents

A company should consider its accident rate, and try to reduce it as much as possible

by making plans and analysis. However, this might cost the company a lot, but it is worth it,

because higher consideration can result in more responsible drivers while driving, which will

therefore lead to the efficiency of the company transport.

Moreover, some of these plans that can stimulate reducing accident are;


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Present the accidents results on the notice board in more interesting way. Such as;

by colourful diagrams or images.

Training the drivers with 'defensive driving' skills.

Try to solve any existing issue, without ignoring any problem, even the small ones.

Analyse the accidents, and refer to it in term of re-training the drivers.

Providing noticeable warnings of most possible hazards. For example; mirrors, road

signs and effective speed bumps. (CILT – Section 13, 2006)

Health, safety and security

With the high increase of personal injury lawyers and the high progressively strict of

government legislation, the health and safety has become one of the major priority of any

business to ensure the efficiency of the organization. However, as a consultant, to apply the

safety of the workplace, the company should have a well-organized plan considering the

laws and regulation of the ministry of labour of Bahrain. Moreover, there are several

analyses that the manager of the company should consider, for instance; the responsibilities

of the employer, the responsibilities of the employees and finally the laws and legislation.

(I pass it on Online, 2012)

Employers’ responsibility

The employer takes the main responsibility of the entire workplace safety.

Moreover, the employer should be informed with both employee's health and equipment

safety. There are several rights that should be given to the employees and certainly can't be


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changed or remove by the manager because they are agreed by the law. However, these

responsibilities are:

Provide a safe workplace by providing modern and safe equipment at no cost with

regular checks and maintenance to prevent any risk or damaging.

New machines and equipment should be check before using them to ensure their

safety.

Ensure the vehicle safety with regular maintenance of each spare part of the

vehicles.

Employees have to be trained well before using any new machinery to prevent the

mistakes that might result in serious injury or damaging.

Provide suitable clothes and protective equipment at no cost to all employees.

Since it is a cement company, the company should consider the chemical materials

used in making the cement because it may affect the employees.

Ensure that ventilation, temperature, lighting, and toilet, washing and rest facilities

all meet health, safety and welfare requirements

Provide instruction, fire extinguisher and warning signs all over the dangerous areas

or equipment.

The employer should be familiar with each employee's health status by getting

regular reports of their medical

statement.

Provide preventive health care

programs to facilitate the employees in

performing their work in a safe way without risks to their health.


Fig 2: Safety equipment that should always be used

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Provide training programs to prepare the employees for any emergency situation

such as; chemical explosion, fire and machinery accidents.

Promote first aid courses to the employees with regular updates each 2 or 3 years.

Build safe floors, walkways, stairs and roadways.

Be understandable with the employee's cases and allow employees to take breaks or

the day off especially if someone felt ill or unable to continue working, because any

result in their health will be on the employer responsibility.

(Directgov Online, 2012)

Employees’ responsibility

The employees of the company have a significant role in accomplishing the safety in the

workplace. Moreover, there are some duties

that the employees must consider to ensure

their safety in the work environment.

Therefore, the company's manager should

inform the employees and educate them with

their rights and their duties to make the

safety procedure easier and more effective.

Nevertheless, some of these important duties

are:

To be aware of all the rules and

regulations, and to take the whole responsibility of any doubting in safety matter by

asking the employer or other employees.


Fig 3: consequence of not following safety procedures

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To be careful in using the equipment especially the hazardous one, and to keep the

tools in the right form with the suitable condition.

If there is any concern of working with unsafe machine or tool, do not use it and

report any insecure actions or dangerous accidents immediately to the employer.

Wearing suitable clothes, helmets, shoes and any other required matters.

Follow the training courses and the instruction given by the manager.

Inform the employer about any medication issue that might be affected by the work

position or the material used in the production. (CILT – Section 13, 2006)

Regulations and codes of practice

Risk assessment is one of the most important steps for accomplishing the safety and

protection of the employees within the workplace. Moreover, it is very important in term of

meeting the law requirements of Bahrain. However, there are several steps that should be

followed to achieve the risk assessment, these steps are:

Classify the hazards

Determine who might be affected and how.

Evaluate the risks and decide on safety measure.

Evidence your findings and implement them.

Review the assessment

The company should have a clear plan for ensuring the health and safety by

cooperating with the department's manager. The managers should have an annual

report about the health of the employees and action taken in term of the health and

safety in the workplace. Moreover, the aim of this report is to ensure the

maintaining of the safety procedures and support the improvements of the action


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plan. However, this report should be followed with a review of the results and

changes that has occur after the implement.

Employee's health must be monitored and recorded by their managers regularly.

Since it is a new published company, it is important to seek for additional health and

safety assistance, because of the lack of knowledge and training that can support

dealing with a condition or circumstance that could impact health and safety of the

employees.

Employees should be informed with the risks and hazards that they are facing. Plus,

the ways of avoiding these hazards.

Employer should provide all the training required for the employees in term of

avoiding any future risks.

The company should have temporary workers for emergency situations that might

necessitate extra employees.

Employees should be cooperative and supportive to all instructions and plans that

the company is implementing.

(Robert Gordon University Online, 2012)

Control of health hazard substances

�The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations aims to prevent

damage to health from occupational exposure to hazardous substances. Moreover, all

employers are required to assess the risk of any kind of health hazards that may involve

their employees. The employers should be familiar with the hazard substances principles

that consists of checking the dangerous productions regularly, choosing the most


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effective ways of controlling the hazards and providing protections equipment with

training courses to the employees. (Health Working Lives, 2012)

The reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences

Reporting of injuries and dangerous occurrences is the employer's responsibility. Moreover, there are several situations that are required to be reported by the law. These conditions are:

Deaths serious injuries Over three days injuries – where a labour had an accident and he is unable to attend

the work or is in the workplace by can't work for more than three days. Injury to a worker that required hospitalisation. Work-related diseases Dangerous occurrences

(EDP Online, 2009)

Vehicle activities

The employer should give high consideration on the vehicle activities, because

vehicles activities are very effective factor to the health and safety of the employees.

Moreover, to avoid vehicle risks to the employees, the company should do the following;

Regular checks on the vehicle's maintenance.

Ensure the safety of the vehicle's construction.

Choose the most safety route to reduce risks.

Set cameras all over the parking areas to ensure the security.



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14. Business and vehicle insuranceInsurance is one of the required details of every transport plan. Even though its costs a lot, it

is an item that is needed to protect business and companies. The purposes of vehicle

insurance:

To provide compensation to the business owner, in case any damage, for

example: accident, theft, and goods damage.

It also covers expenses arising from any responsibility thereon. For example, if

the truck was on fire, it might cause damages to the people around it. The

insurance covers the unknown expenses that might appear without any pervious

notice.

Third party insurance: The third party insurance is a compulsory type of insurance; according to the law the

operators must insure their vehicles against the third party hazards.

It is against rules to drive a vehicle unless it’s covered in respect of third party, not

only the driver will be punished but also the employer, who allowed it to happen.

Types of insurance: Minimum level of covers: the vehicle must be at least insured against third party risks.

This third party insurance must cover all the responsibilities of the death or injury of any

person, for example: the medical treatment expenses. The insurance must compensate

the driver from this responsibility.

Other vehicle-related insurance: for a farther protection, the vehicle insurance could

be extended to include another type of covers:

Fire. – Covers damage to the vehicle.


Fig 4: Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Co. Logo

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Theft – Covers loss of goods in the vehicle.

Goods in transit.

Other business insurance: Employer’s liability insurance: all companies must insure against responsibility for

death, disease and injury that could happen to the employees during the working

hours.

Public liability insurance: this type of insurance covers the danger the might harm the public as a result of the insured business activities. For example:

Flawed loading, which might harm people who are near the trucks. The safety of people who visit the company. Wrong first aid treatment. When an employee or a visitor is injured and they get a

wrong first aid treatment.

Consequential loss: after a major disaster such as fire or storm in the company, the

employer will be faced with huge losses. If he insured his business he would be able to get

revenue out of this damage from the insurance company.

Insurance Companies in Bahrain: Bahrain has a very open finance and insurance sector, many companies are competing

against each other, some those companies are:

Bahrain and Kuwait Insurance Company Established in 1975.

Many policies available: fire, general

accidents, marine and motors.

It is well prepared to face the market.


Fig 5: Bahrain National Insurance Co. Logo

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Bahrain National Insurance Company 40 years of experience.

First virtual insurance branch in Bahrain.

Saudi National Insurance Company Established 1974, registered in Bahrain 1993.

Limited insurance covers.

Recommendations: We recommend purchasing the insurance cover from Bahrain and Kuwait Insurance

Company for the following reasons:

They provide a wider range of insurance cover. Bah-con would be able to insure

their entire vehicles list, not only that but also the drivers health insurance.

Strong financial standing.

Health coverage may cover employees in Bahrain, as well as Kuwait, Saudi

Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Jordan. This might ease the operation if it

happened in any of these countries and motivate the staff.

They have an effective online service.

This is only a recommendation; however Bah-Con can search for better offers with a

better service in other insurance companies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the recommendations mentioned in this best practice guide are the

best for the ready mix factory because it would depend on the requirements the company

needs, that were studied, and the amount of orders it delivers at a certain time, the best


Fig 6: Saudi National Insurance Co.

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practice guide simply gives the best options or procedures that are available for the

company.

Appendix

Pictures:

[Pic 1] To [Pic 17]: Pictures taken by team members Abdullah Bawazir and Ali Salman

Maps:

[Map 1]: retrieved June 4, 2012 from GMI Media International: http://www.gmi-

net.com/SSM/data/images/map.jpg

TablesAll the tables in the best practice guide are referenced in the text.

Figures[Fig. 1] http://www.docstoc.com/docs/20473383/Drivers-Motor-Vehicle-Accident-Report

[Fig. 2] http://manuals.deere.com/omview/OMT181139_19/gif/TS206.gif

[Fig. 3]http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/807571/Concrete-truck-crash-traps-driver

[Fig. 4] http://www.bkic.com/gif/BKIC-logo.jpg

[Fig. 5] http://www.bnidirect.com/images/home_header.jpg


http://www.gmi-net.com/SSM/data/images/map.jpg

http://www.gmi-net.com/SSM/data/images/map.jpg

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[Fig. 6] http://www.snic.com.bh/

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http://www.hajihassanreadymix.com/main.html

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Almuharraqi, S. (2012, may). HR . (W. Ahmed, Interviewer)

Aloraibi, J. (2012, june 5). HR . (W. Ahmed, Interviewer)

Aviva Insurance PLC. (n.d.). Motor, Transport & Fleet Insurance. Retrieved June 4, 2012, from Business Insurance: http://www.aviva.co.uk/yourbusiness/whats-your-business/motor-and-transport/

Bahrain Kuwait Insurance. (n.d.). BKIC Motor Insurance. Retrieved June 4, 2012, from http://www.bkic.com/default.asp?action=category&id=34

Bahrain National Insurance. (n.d.). Domestic Insurance. Retrieved June 4, 2012, from BNI Direct: http://www.bnidirect.com/motor_domestic_insurance%20.aspx

Butcher, L. (2009, November 23). Lorry Sizes and Weights. Retrieved June 4, 2012, from House of Commons Library: http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/cms/pdf/2009-Oversize-&-Weight-limits.pdf

Chartered Institue of Logistics and Transport. (2006). Fleet Management (Unit 6) - Section 1. Course Material.







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Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of South Africa. (1997, April). The Damaging Effects of Overloaded Heavy Vehicles on Roads [PDF File]. Retrieved June 4, 2012, from Roads and Transport Technology Division: overload.csir.co.za/pad27/docs/Pad27_A4.pdf

First Vehicle Services. (n.d.). Why outsource maintenance services. Retrieved June 4, 2012, from http://www.firstvehicleservices.com/why-outsource-maintenance

GMI. (n.d.). Retrieved June 4, 2012, from Bapco Stations Statistics: http://www.gmi-net.com/SSM/stats.htm

GMI. (n.d.). Locations of Petrol stations in Bahrain. Retrieved June 4, 2012, from http://www.gmi-net.com/SSM/data/images/map.jpg

Haji Hassan Group. (2010). Haji Hassan Ready Mix. Retrieved June 4, 2012, from http://www.hajihassanreadymix.com/main.html

Hammam, A. (2012, may). Haji hassan ReadyMix. (W. Ahmed, Interviewer)

Hewitt, J. (2011, October 16). advantages and disadvantages to leasing a car? Retrieved June 4, 2012, from http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-to-leasing-a-car

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Labour Market Regulatory Authority. (2011, May 11). Retrieved June 4, 2012, from About LMRA: http://portal.lmra.bh/english/page/show/56

Lease Gude. (n.d.). Is it better to lease a car or buy? Retrieved June 4, 2012, from The Guide to Leasing: http://www.leaseguide.com/lease03.htm

Mercedes-Benz Trucks. (n.d.). 2012 Mercedes Actros Brochure [PDF File]. Retrieved June 4, 2012, from Orwell Truck and Van: http://rsi-cda.mercedes-benz.com/content/unitedkingdom/retailer-I/orwell_truck___van/my_library/media_library/trucks/new_actros_2012_brochure.object-Single-MEDIA.tmp/NewActros-Brochure.pdf

Ministry of Muncipalities and Agriculture. (n.d.). Traffic Impact Assessment Guide For Developers [PDF File]. Retrieved June 4, 2012, from Urban Planning Affairs: http://websrv.municipality.gov.bh/ppd/doc/study_traffic.pdf

Mundra, S. (n.d.). Advantages, Disadvantages and Types of Contract In House Maintenance. Retrieved June 4, 2012, from Preserve Articles: http://www.preservearticles.com/2012020822925/advantages-disadvantages-and-types-of-contract-in-house-maintenance.html

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Rafique, M. (2012, May 2). Bapco launches smart fuel cards. Retrieved June 4, 2012, from 24/7 News: http://twentyfoursevennews.com/bahrain-goverment/oil-gas/bapco-bahrain-news/bapco-launches-smart-fuel-cards/?wpmp_switcher=mobile

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Wood, R. (2009, January 24). Concrete truck crash traps driver . Retrieved June 4, 2012, from Taranaki Daily News: http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/807571/Concrete-truck-crash-traps-driver


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