A logging truck on the unsealed Wright Road in Pipiwai./File
A New Zealand man has invented a new way to stop logging trucks generating dust clouds on unsealed roads.
Michael McNicholas said the 10 metre long piece of equipment, when fitted to logging trucks, would save the government millions of dollars on road sealing in Northland.
The system was fully automated and designed to trap dust under the chassis of vehicles and spray it with water.
"It can reduce the dust by about 90 per cent," he said.
That would take the level of dust plumes down to the same as a car.
"Some features of the dust control system come from a system of moving water around a disaster zone," he said.
Mr McNicholas, who had asthma, said he was prompted to design the device after discovering the impact of excessive dust levels on people's health in Northland.