The truck that overturned on the A16 on Monday morning was helped up thanks to air cushions. They are increasingly being used on overturned trucks to limit damage. “You have to bear in mind that fifteen to twenty tons fall back, that is quite a blow,” explains recovery operator Koos Rietveld.
He helped salvage the truck in Breda on Monday morning. Rietveld explains how this works:
- The air cushions are placed where the wheels are likely to end up.
- The truck is pulled upright with a winch.
- The colossus is absorbed by the air cushions, which slowly deflate.
- If the truck is upright, it can be towed away.
In this way, the recovery of trucks is a lot smoother. “Otherwise the car will fall to the ground with a huge bang, causing even more damage,” says Rietveld. For example, the windows can fall out, so that the entire highway is littered with glass. “With the winch and the air cushions you also have no chance of the truck tipping over in the other direction.”
At the truck on the A16, the truck was cushioned using air cushions, but there are also cushions that can put trucks upright. This often happens when a truck cannot be pulled upright with a winch. These lifting bags are slid under a tilted truck and slowly inflated. As a result, the truck stands upright and can easily be towed away.
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Watch an animation of how the lift cushions are used below: