Freighter EziLiner Wins Australian International Design Award

Freighter EziLiner has been awarded an Australian International Design Award in the Automotive and Transport category at a ceremony held at the Australian Technology Park in Sydney.

Assessed against strict criteria and facing competition from the likes of the Audi TT sports car and the new Holden VE ute, the Freighter EziLiner impressed judges with its innovative design.

Showcased at the awards ceremony as a product design that will revolutionise road transport operations by replacing the buckles and straps traditionally used to tension semi-trailer and truck curtains, the EziLiner was commended for its simplicity of design and its ability to provide significant operational efficiency improvements for road transport operators, especially in the area of time savings per load/unload cycle.

The EziLiner also demonstrated its OH&S benefits, with drivers no longer risking injury as a result of the repetitive nature of opening and closing buckles and straps. The EziLiner requires a flick of a lever to tighten the high tensile cable that runs through a series of specially designed arcs at the bottom of the curtain.

“The EziLiner has set a new benchmark in curtain sided trailers in Australia. Customers had been telling us how they strongly dislike buckles and straps,” said Stuart McMurtrie, MaxiTrans Group Marketing Manager, accepting the award. “Our Freighter engineers set about finding an alternative solution to provide vertical curtain tension and the result was the EziLiner, which is not only easier to operate but takes only a fraction of the time required to open and close conventional curtains. Operator feedback has been enthusiastic from both fleet managers and drivers.”

In all, the EziLiner took a little over 6 months to develop from concept to the prototype displayed in Brisbane in May 2007, with sales commencing in October that year. Freighter Engineering Manager, Sean Juricic, commended everyone at Freighter involved in the project.

“Everyone can be extremely proud of the EziLiner. Taking it from rough idea to operational prototype to production model in a short time has demonstrated the teamwork and skills of the Freighter team at Ballarat,” said Juricic.

The judges were also impressed by the fact that the Freighter EziLiner, due to its ease of operation, may assist in the retention of existing drivers and the recruitment of new drivers. Given the critical shortage of professional truck drivers and the increasing average age of drivers, this is a key product benefit.

In urban route delivery environments, the time saved in opening and closing curtains at each delivery location will shorten the time required to complete a given route, potentially providing the opportunity to extend the routes of several trucks and undertake the total freight task of the business in question with fewer trucks and trailers. So the EziLiner may even help to reduce the number of trucks on the road.

The annual Australian International Design Awards are recognised as the peak promotional body for the Australian design industry and have an important role in fostering a culture of design and innovation in Australia.

Further information can be found at Australian International Design Awards