About Vulcan
Vulcan On Board Scales is a recognized leader of on-vehicle weighing systems for commercial vehicles
Vulcan On-Board Scales designs and manufactures state-of-the-art force measurement products for the trucking markets, including timber, refuse, aggregate, and general trucking, as well as solutions for the aerospace, marine, medical, heavy machinery and process controls markets.
With globally-recognized brands VPG Onboard Weighing, Vulcan On-Board Scales, and, SI Onboard we are innovative leader in the design and manufacturing of on-board payload control and overload protection for vans, light commercial vehicles, heavy trucks, bucket loaders, and aircraft. As a group we are the largest global manufacturer of onboard weighing systems with direct sales offices in 10 countries across North America, Europe and Asia and an extensive dealer network - providing sales, service and installation. R&D is located in the UK and in the USA, and is staffed by electronic and software developers, and mechanical CAD designers. VPG Onboard Weighing continues to innovate and develop new products to satisfy the ever-evolving needs of its valued customers.
Vulcan On-Board Scales are manufactured by Stress-Tek, Inc, which was founded in 1978 in Kent, Washington, near Seattle. Stress-Tek, Inc. originally provided professional consulting services in the fields of transducer design and experimental stress analysis.
Our design team has access to the latest engineering tools and techniques allowing us to understand and address customer requirements. We have over 300 load designs and more than fifteen patents, with additional patents pending.
Vulcan On-Board Scales are supported by the best sales and service team in the industry. Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction. Our products are sold by knowledgeable dealers throughout the United States, Canada, and worldwide.
Why Scales?
Electronic on-board scales are not new. They were introduced over 30 years ago into trucking applications where monitoring gross vehicle or payload weight was necessary, but platform scales were not readily available.
Over the years, improvements were added to these early electronic on-board scales. Load cells were improved and specialty load cells were developed for fifth wheels, center hangers, single points and most other types of spring suspensions. Vulcan On-Board Scales developed the double shear beam load cell, which is now an industry standard in the timber and other industries. Strain gage based air sensors were improved and added for an increasing number of air ride suspensions. Hydraulic sensors were designed for vehicles equipped with hydraulic lift cylinders. Today, Vulcan On-Board Scales can be installed on any truck or trailer with air, spring or mixed suspensions.
Based on this product evolution, the applications for on-board scales are rapidly expanding. On-board scales are found in almost every trucking industry, such as general trucking, dirt & aggregate hauling, construction & demolition, refuse, agriculture, mining, and bulk hauling. Today, truckers using on-board scales are reaping benefits far beyond just monitoring gross vehicle weight to avoid overweight fines. Given the high cost of time and equipment, on-board scales are having a dramatic impact on the efficiency and profitability of operating a truck.
Key benefits that on-board scales offer truckers are:
Optimize fleet efficiency by hauling the maximum legal payload on every trip without going to a platform scale.
Eliminate overweight fines.
Load to the maximum legal weight quickly at the loading point, without waiting in scale lines or driving to the nearest platform scale.
Eliminate travel to certified scales.
Reduce maintenance costs and increase vehicle life by hauling loads that the vehicle was designed to carry.
Reduce fuel usage by hauling at capacity for less trips.
Increased safety by keeping weight within legal limits allowing braking distance to remain constant and tracking around corners to be more predictable.
Eliminate liability exposure due to increased braking distance from overweight vehicles.
Measure pick-up and delivery weights such as: dirt, waste removal, recycled commodities and farm and dairy products.
Improve customer service by providing individual pick-up or container weight to better assure your commercial customers that they are being billed fairly.
Increase revenue by more accurately charging individual customers on pick-up and delivery operations.
Increase driver retention.
Improve operation efficiency by recording weights, load cycles, dump cycles and amount of haulback. With the increasing use of on-board computers, wireless communications and GPS equipment, weight information can be collected and transmitted real time back to the home office.
Truckers that consider the above benefits obtained from on-board scales, typically calculate their payback to be from 3 to 12 months. This will only shorten in the future as the cost to haul without on-board scales increases.
In the past only certain types of trucking applications were predominate users of on-board scales. Today, a significant number of new trucks and trailers in a wide range of applications come equipped with on-board scales. This will continue to expand due to the following industry trends:
- Increasing competition and the need to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
- Increasing enforcement of overweight regulations.
- Increasing need to reduce liability exposure.
- Increasing difficulty finding and retaining competent drivers.
- Increasing demand for more information.
- Increasing use of on-board computers, wireless communications and GPS equipment.
Vulcan brings specialized weighing solutions that meld seamlessly with fleet systems, ensuring precise, compliant, and optimized loads. This blend of VPG Onboard Weighing’s heritage with Vulcan’s innovation underscores a commitment to boost our customer’s operational profitability and sustainability, positioning Vulcan as a strategic asset I our customers business success.