Page 22 - ATR 6 2013 digital

because it does not apply as much pres-
sure. Both manufacturers use the term
“collision mitigation” instead of “colli-
“iN our guT, do we belieVe iT works? yes. iN sion avoidance.” According to Thomas,
the goal is to turn what would have
our guT, do we belieVe iT’s a good iNVesTmeNT? been a fatality crash into an injury
absoluTely, or we wouldN’T coNTiNue doiNg iT. crash, an injury crash into a property

our moTTo’s always beeN, ‘do The righT ThiNg damage crash and a property damage
because iT’s The righT ThiNg To do.’” crash into a near miss. “The equipment
is there in case the driver has a bad
—deaN Newell, Vice presideNT of safeTy, maVerick day,” he said.
TraNsporTaTioN Until 2014, neither system has been
able to apply brakes when encountering
stationary objects in the lane. That’s
about to change. OnGuard will include
ers can recoup their investments many growth rate between 2008 and 2013 a braking feature in 2014 because its
times over if they prevent a crash. and a 20 percent growth rate between radar, which was updated in 2012, is
According to the Federal Motor Carrier 2012 and 2013. T.J. Thomas, Bendix’s ready to distinguish between station-
Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) director of marketing and customer ary vehicles and other objects such as
“Commercial Motor Vehicle Facts solutions for controls, said his company overhead signs, Korn said. Bendix is
– March 2013,” there were 273,000 doesn’t release sales figures on all prod- promising to release a next generation
crashes involving large trucks in 2011, ucts but said sales have been growing soon but is not ready to describe its fea-
with an estimated cost of $87 billion. since the first generation Wingman was ture set.
FMCSA figures supplied by Bendix, released in 2009. Both claim reorder Neither system is activated unless
revealed a fatality crash involving a rates of nearly 100 percent, and both the tractor is traveling 15 miles per
large truck costs a carrier $7.7 million, say interest is increasing in Class 6-7 hour. Both systems currently include an
an injury crash costs $392,000 and a vehicles. active cruise with braking feature that
property damage crash costs $26,000. The systems use radars to moni- will maintain a gap between the tractor
The costs of a crash aren’t just tor road traffic. In OnGuard’s case, and the forward vehicle.
measured in repair bills and attorneys’ a long-range radar monitors what’s The technology has advanced sig-
fees. A serious accident can distract happening ahead while a short-range nificantly since the introduction of ear-
a carrier’s attention and consume its radar also looks to the tractor’s sides. In lier, passive systems that included only
energy for years while resulting in ter- Wingman’s case, a single radar watches an alert. Maverick’s Newell said those
rible publicity. Then there’s the human activity to the front and sides of the systems produced so many false alarms
toil – the family that has potentially forward vehicle. Drivers are alerted that drivers tended to ignore them.
lost a loved one, and the driver who through beeps and lights when a threat “It’s kind of like living next to
loses his job or at least his confidence. is detected, and OnGuard taps the a railroad track or airport. You tune
“We’ve had some situations,” Hare brakes if the driver doesn’t respond in things out,” he said. “Well, that’s the
said, “and drivers, they really beat time. problem with a passive system. It does a
themselves up over it, and it takes a According to Korn, the system good job when you first put it on, but as
while to get them back on the road, if reacts based on what is happening on your fleet gets older, the drivers become
ever, when it’s a non-preventable. There the road, with the first goal being to re- immune to false alarms. It’s the ‘boy
are just a lot of those hidden costs that engage the driver. “The way OnGuard who cried wolf’ syndrome.”
people do not recognize when they see works, it’s going to give the driver every Newell said the system now emits
that, ‘Oh, Motor Carrier A has had a opportunity to take an action before fewer false alarms. When it does, it’s
crash. They just pay for their vehicle and applying the brakes,” he said. “It’s cal- likely out of adjustment, and the sys-
move on.’ That is not the way it goes.” culating if the vehicle can do a safe tems have automatic adjusters. When
Sales of crash avoidance technolo- evasive maneuver. And when the system one of the systems malfunctions, the
gies are increasing. According to Alan senses it cannot, that’s when the brak- truck is still drivable, but Maverick’s
Korn, Meritor WABCO’s director of ing process begins.” drivers are instructed to immediately
advanced brake system integration, In both cases, the technology will park the vehicle so it can be towed for
50,000 OnGuard systems have been stop the truck by itself, though it typi- repairs.
sold in North America since it was cally will require more distance than There has been no quantum leap in
released in 2007, with a 65 percent if the driver had applied the brakes technology that has made these changes

22 arkaNsas TruckiNg reporT | issue 6 2013