Hexagon Highs Transport Sdn Bhd, a logistics company based in Kuching, is the first in Malaysia to use Prototype Safety Trailer-Trucks (STT) in their operations. Managing director, William Liang said that the initiative portrays the company’s commitment and responsibility towards its drivers and other road users.

“This safety truck concept was originally mooted a year ago because trailer-trucks are getting bigger and longer to cater to the overwhelming logistics demand. Transport safety is a critical aspect in logistics management, especially for Sarawak and Sabah where the trunk road is a single-carriage dual-lane road,” he added.

Hexagon High has developed its STT prototype with the In-Cab Camera Streaming Projection (ICCSP) module system, which includes an in-cab camera mounted on the trailer-truck dashboard to record the road ahead, which is then projected to a large monitor (measuring four feet by seven feet) display panel mounted at the back of the trailer-truck. The real-time streaming projection will thus allow drivers behind to have a better view of what is ahead of the long trailer-truck in order to make sound decisions on whether or not to overtake.

“This innovation helps in road safety apart from helping promote public awareness especially when overtaking or during emergency manoeuvres to avoid stray animals or dangerous road hazards ahead. With this ICCSP-truck, drivers driving behind are empowered with faster response time to avoid emergency situations such as sudden braking, animal crossing, or accidents just about to happen or happening ahead. It will surely make our roads a lot safer and fun to travel on,” said Liang.

Hexagon Highs was established in 2006 to provide logistics services, specialising in freight forwarding, customs clearance, shipping, transportation, warehousing, and distribution throughout Sarawak, Sabah, Labuan, and Brunei. It evolved into a full fledge commercial logistics company in 2010 servicing customers worldwide with shipments from the rest of the world to Malaysia and vice versa.

As Nestle's third party logistics partner, Hexagon proposed to test the safety features of the STT upon discussions with Nestle on how to further improve road safety. Jolle Ijkema, Group Logistics Manager at Nestle Products Sdn Bhd said that the company participated in this project as "safety of the people in our manufacturing and supply chain processes is our number one priority so we are very happy with the initiative developed by Hexagon. It is a great opportunity to see this safety feature in actual action on the road and to gain experience from actually having the truck being used in interactions with other road users. The first truck that was launched a few weeks ago is now being put on the road for further testing. Once these tests have been proven to be successful, a further roll-out will be considered." Nestle is looking forward to further collaborate with their suppliers to develop stronger partnerships which they expect will further professionalize their entire supply chain.