Omni Tanker, which is based in Sydney, has partnered with a welding company in Queensland to construct a triple-tank road train, to be used by Townsville Logistics.
The development of the lighter vehicle has the potential to pave the way for congruous technology to be deployed in other nations, according to the company.
Omni Tanker chief executive Daniel Rodgers said it partnered with Mick Murray Welding in Townsville to create the three-tank road train capable of moving 98 tonnes of liquid in a single haul.
By replacing steel with a carbon fibre composite and cutting the weight of the tanks, the company was able to achieve “game-changing liquid payloads,” he added.
“The tanks are fundamentally lighter than steel-based equivalents,” Rodgers said.
“Greater payload in the tank means less overall trips and when you need less overall trips you use less overall fuel, you need less drivers.”
The company’s chief technical officer Luke Djukic said using aerospace materials enhanced the new road train’s capacity by 15%, while mould-in baffles were created to limit movement in the tanks for greater road safety.
“We’re talking about a payload uplift of 15%, which is really huge for the transport logistics sector,” he said.
“Typically, if you can get two or three per cent that’s a very big outcome but this has been significantly larger.”
The lighter tanks could be deployed in industries including mining, water treatment and chemical transport, he added.
The first road tanker will be used by Townsville Logistics to transport sulphuric acid across northern Australia and the company’s baffle technology would be exported to North America and Europe, Djukic said.