Tick, tock, truck – Scania has created a gigantic clock comprised of trucks keeping track of every second in a deserted airfield.
The clock, which started ticking yesterday at 19pm CET, will be broadcast online.
The reason Scania put its new generation of trucks and services through the toughest test of all – time itself – was because in long haulage transport being punctual is critical to success.
The process of setting up the world’s first clock made entirely of trucks required 14 trucks, 90 drivers and 750,000sqm of deserted airfield.
The trucks that made up the clock faced a variety of difficulties depending on which clock hand they were forming. The trucks that made up the second hand had to drive on a round track in a perfect circle every 60 seconds for 24 hours. The inside truck had to maintain a constant speed of 13 km/h, while the outside truck had to hold a constant speed of 53 km/h. For the trucks making up the minute and hour hands, the challenge was to ensure a perfectly synchronised sequence of starts and stops.
In order to maintain a correct, even speed while minimising fuel consumption, each truck had to be carefully managed depending on their position in the clock. Scania fleet managers in the control tower were able to keep track of all the trucks and constantly monitor the status of each vehicle to avoid unexpected stops and keep wear and tear to a minimum. The drivers played a key role in ensuring that the whole operation worked smoothly.
Elin Engström, a truck driver at Scania, played a lead role in the second hand that all the other trucks had to follow. “The most demanding challenge in long haulage is precision and punctuality. The clock was the ultimate test of staying in your line, maintaining your speed and keeping track of every second for 24 hours straight. All the drivers had to be in perfect sync and precision was the key to achieving this.”
According to Scania head of marketing communications Staffan Arvas, trucks are huge and powerful machines, but they’re also intricately designed and refined instruments. “Just like watches, each truck had to be optimised for its specific task in the clock, and real-time monitoring and analysis through our connected services made the whole operation possible.”
The clock was filmed using five different cameras, which allows viewers to switch between different angles on the website. Visitors to the site can also learn more about the project and the new generation of Scania trucks and services.
Check out the clock at scaniaclock.com.
