7. Explore the use of safety systems (e.g. immobiliser systems) to alert drivers and prevent instances where crane mounted heavy vehicles move off without having the boom being put in a safe way

UPDATE: Tech briefing pdf is now available for download in ATTACHMENT

UPDATE 2: Refer to Additional Info below for the Proposal Submission Instructions

In June 2016, a lorry with a inadequately stowed crane collided into a HDB sheltered walkway in a HDB car park. The driver had failed to lower the crane boom adequately before driving off and the collision brought down the covered linkway which fell onto a parked car. Therefore, in November 2016, LTA announced that all lorries that are mounted with cranes will be required to be fitted with a height warning system. This system provides audio warning to the driver when the lorry crane is not adequately stowed.

To further complement the height warning system, this project aims to develop an immobiliser system capable of being installed on all lorry cranes and prevent the lorry from moving off if the crane boom is not adequately stowed. This will mitigate the risk of collisions with overhead road structures by lorry cranes which are not properly retracted and enhance safety of these vehicles.

Currently, SCDF implements an immobiliser system to be fitted on all of their HAZMAT vehicles. This system immobilises the vehicle when it crosses a pre-determined geofenced boundary. However, establishing a geofenced boundary would also not be feasible as lorry cranes can be deployed to perform operations at any location in Singapore. 

As different models of cranes are retrofitted on lorries (depending on the operators’ needs), there are currently no off-the-shelf system in the market that can monitor the angular position of a crane and immobilise the lorry if the crane was not adequately stowed.

If a feasible solution is developed, LTA may consider to mandate the installation of the immobiliser system on all lorry cranes. The developed system should be able to work on the range of different lorry and crane models (i.e. different makes/models of lorries and cranes and lorries of age up to the statutory lifespan of 20 years). The system should be capable in determining the position of the crane boom and prevent the lorry from moving off if the crane boom is inadequately stowed. The system should also continue to supply power to the vehicle/crane system so that the operator is able to retract the crane adequately before trying to drive the vehicle. As the lorry cranes are owned by the respective business owners, LTA would not be able to provide a clear indication on the maximum product cost of the final product.

Q3 2020 – Prototype developed

Prototype must be able to demonstrate ability to immobilise lorry cranes (one European make and one Japanese make respectively) when the crane boom is not adequately stowed. Lorry cranes selected for this stage would be no more than 3 years old.

Q2 2021 – Pilot Deployment

During the Pilot Deployment, the prototype must demonstrate the ability to immobilise lorry cranes from European and Japanese makes, and of the following age groups:

1. Vehicle aged 1 year old to 5 years old
2. Vehicle aged 6 years old to 10 years old
3. Vehicle aged 11 years old to 15 years old
4. Vehicle aged 16 years old to 18 years old

Q3 2020 – Prototype developed

Q2 2021 – Trial of prototype

What solutions we are not interested in?

Technical solutions that are only able to provide visual and audio warning to the driver, but does not prevent the lorry crane from moving off.

Market Potential for proposed solution/product

Vehicle operators of other types of operations may adapt the system into its fleet to manage and prevent unauthorised vehicle movement until all operational conditions are met. (e.g. preventing forklifts from moving off if the fork is not lowered sufficiently or load exceeds the maximum loading capacity of the vehicle). As of June 2019, there are about 3,200 lorry cranes registered for use on the roads.

Proposal Submission Instructions

1. Please download Application Form_0.docx found in the ATTACHMENT and fill it as detailed as possible.
2. Click on “APPLY” button in this challenge page and fill in the required fields. Do upload your completed application form and any supporting documents prior to submission.
3. If you are ready to submit your application, select “Submit for Review” in Change Proposal Workflow state field and click the Publish button.
4. If you wish to save your application and return later to work on your application, select “Draft” in Change Proposal Workflow state and click the Publish button.  Subsequently, when you return to your application and ready to submit, select “Submit for Review” in Change Proposal Workflow state field and click the Save button.
5. You will receive a confirmation email once you have successfully submitted your application.
6. Do contact [email protected] if you have issues with the application.