Heavy Duty Dialogue 2014 is a business conference developed by the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association for fleet and supplier executives globally in the commercial vehicle industry. The event was held in conjunction with the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition in Nashville. The “X Factors in the Industry” panel provided supplier industry perspectives on alternate fuels, electronics and safety technologies.
Collision mitigation system technology is the “X factor” in North American trucking and has a significant near-term impact on the commercial vehicle industry by reducing accidents.
Five fleets equipped with Meritor WABCO’s OnGuard collision mitigation system have reported accident reductions of 75-87%, which far exceeds the forecast of 44% in a 2013 study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
“The trucking industry is leading the integration of vehicle safety technology,” said Jon Morrison, president and general manager of Meritor WABCO. “The payoffs include significant safety benefits for our nation’s owner-operators and citizens on our highways, in addition to economic benefits for our industry.”
OnGuard collision mitigation is now on approximately 50,000 trucks in more than 70 fleets that log billions of miles every year. The 50% growth rate in collision mitigation systems indicates that fleets are seeing the payback, resulting in safer roads. While OnGuard is not able to prevent all accidents, the system does prevent a significant number of incidents and minimizes those that it cannot control.
“Owners and managers are continuing to see the powerful impact of these active and advanced braking systems on their fleet operations,” Morrison said.
