The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)is ramping up efforts to bring new safety technology to the trucking industry. Their “Tech-Celerate Now” initiative has been in the works since 2019 and seeks to promote the addition of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) on heavy trucks. The FMCSA is specifically pushing for automatic emergency braking, air disk brakes, lane departure warnings, and video-based onboard safety monitoring for Class 7 and Class 8 commercial vehicles.
While builders and fleet owners may balk at the idea of adding even more to their bill of materials, the FMCSA and the AAA Safety Foundation agree the cost of ADAS is more than worth it. According to a study conducted by the AAA Safety Foundation in 2017, the four types of safety systems the FMCSA is choosing to focus on were all incredibly effective at preventing accidents but video-based monitoring and lane departure warnings were far-and-away the most effective.
AAA Safety Foundation Executive Director Dr. David Yang said, “There’s no question that truck safety technology saves lives. This new research shows that the benefits of adding many of these technologies to trucks clearly outweighs the cost.”
The FMCSA is not yet proposing any mandates to require this new technology – just raising awareness and creating best-practices for the industry so the transition to ADAS goes smoothly.
The latest development from Voyager will lay the groundwork for adding these systems down the road. The brand is well known in the trucking industry for their patented Auto-pairing, which has helped connect trailer cameras and in-cab monitors with a single button for some of the largest fleets in the United States. Now, Voyager is phasing out their original systems that use WiSight Technology in favor for the next generation WiSight 2.0 Technology which ensures a strong, clear signal for wireless observation just like the original, while also adding new features that will help push trucking safety technology forward.
Voyager has already found a solution to address the possible hurdle of connecting recommended systems from different supplier companies on the same vehicle. The new system is equipped with General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) connections that will allow information from Voyager cameras and sensors as well as products made by other suppliers to be transmitted to the monitor or information system inside the cab, allowing the systems to all work together.
Because Voyager uses a unique, proprietary signal, any truck with a WiSight 2.0 receiver (WVRX2AP) can pair with any trailer outfitted with a WiSight 2.0 transmitter (WVTX2AP). This makes it easy for a driver to connect all the safety systems installed on his trailer to the monitor in his cab. Unlike other information systems, the WiSight 2.0 connection works without a subscription or cellular data, eliminating fees for fleet owners.
Learn more about Voyager’s WiSight 2.0 Technology and the Tech-Celerate Now initiative at TMC’s fall 2021 meeting. Voyager will be exhibiting in booth 9006 and the Fleet Maintenance Management task force will be hosting a study group focusing on the progress made on ADAS so far and the inter-agency developments on the horizon.
This article was sponsored by Voyager. For more information, please visit our website at www.voyagercameras.com
