The first of Fonterra's fleet of milk tankers which have the truck equivalent of ‘high-vis' vests are on the road in a step to make New Zealand roads safer.

Fonterra's high tech tankers now have better visibility.

Come April next year, all of Fonterra's 480 milk tankers will have the high visibility makeover.
Fonterra's Gary Romano says the tankers are the embodiment of Kiwi ingenuity and have pushed the boundaries of design technology by having tankers which reflect in the dark and stand out during the day.
'Our tankers are part of our operation that the public see most often, so we saw a real opportunity to connect with our New Zealand communities through graphics which not only meet our drivers' priority for a strong safety message, but also aspire pride in the natural origins of Fonterra's milk,” says Gary.

Concerns with the number of road users colliding with tankers brought about the need for a change. Gary says the stainless steel used on trucks isn't reflective and absorbs light from the headlights of incoming cars. To make the trucks more visible, light graphics are now attached.

'Some were sceptical at first, but when they saw the trial tanker at night for the first time, they were convinced it was another step towards being more visible and safer on the roads.”
Each tanker and trailer is covered with moon and star graphics and is visible to other road users at night from up to 300 metres.

During the day, the moon changes to a sun and the scene changes to a blue sky and green pastures.