Common wheel-end service misconceptions
In servicing commercial vehicle wheel-ends, fleets and operators sometimes rely on industry practices that are accepted, trusted—and may no longer be valid. This installment of the Bendix Tech Tips series from Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC and Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC (BSFB) addresses five common misconceptions, offering the facts behind each to help industry
Bendix Wingman Fusion now an option on Kenworth T270, T370
Kenworth now offers the Bendix Wingman Fusion advanced driver assistance system as an option on the Kenworth T270 and T370 medium-duty trucks. Bendix Wingman Fusion integrates and advances a proven suite of Bendix safety technologies—radar, camera, the vehicle’s foundation brake system, and SafetyDirect by Bendix CVS—into a comprehensive driver assistance system. Built on the Bendix
Peterbilt standardizes disc brakes for Model 579
Peterbilt Motors Co. announced that rear disc brakes are now available on the Peterbilt Model 579, completing the standardization of disc brakes for this model. Peterbilt says that it has been providing front disc brakes on the Model 579 to increase driver safety and reduce stopping distance, and that with the addition of rear disc
DuraBrake offers air disc brakes program for trucks and trailers
DuraBrake (formerly Durametal) introduces a new all-makes air disc brake program for heavy-duty trucks and trailers. “With Air Disc Brake (ADB) systems being specified on 20-25% of new vehicles, and vehicles starting to come off warranties, now is the time when these parts are going to start increasing in the aftermarket,” says Shaun Shroff, president
Western Star to offer 3rd Eye safety camera and radar systems
Western Star Trucks has begun offering 3rd Eye backup cameras and radar option packages as factory-installed options on its vehicles. “The need for safety is extremely important for Western Star customers. Keeping drivers safe on the job—including the people working in and around the trucks—is paramount for all industries,” said John Tomlinson, Western Star’s vocational
Visions of the future: Where trucking’s possibilities and realities converge
Visions of trucking’s future are as nuanced as those who dare to picture it. The possibilities of today’s truck equipment technology serve as a sort of trucking Rorschach test—where one person looks at automated trucks and imagines a world without professional drivers, and others look at that same technology and can’t imagine that there wouldn’t
Volvo touts safety features in VNR, VNL
The new long-haul Volvo VNL and regional-haul VNR series trucks combine active safety innovations to help drivers reduce fatigue and distraction, making them the safest Volvo trucks ever, the OEM said. “The new VNR and VNL series strengthen our leading passive safety features with active safety innovations to help drivers prevent accidents before they occur,” said Wade
WABCO launches OnSide blind spot detection system
WABCO introduced the OnSide blind spot detection system for commercial trucks and trailers. The radar-based system alerts drivers of the presence of a moving vehicle in a truck’s blind spot and provides a side collision warning to reduce the risk of accidents. WABCO OnSide helps improve commercial vehicle safety by alerting drivers to the potential
ASA Electronics introduces front sensor system
ASA Electronics has introduced the Voyager CVFPS16 Front Sensor System, which the company says helps make maneuvering large vehicles less stressful. The system comes equipped with four sensors and an IPX6 waterproof camera. The CVFPS16 will work with virtually any Voyager camera system; the independent sensors are spaced evenly along the vehicle’s front bumper and
WABCO launches OnLaneAssist advanced driver assistance system
WABCO introduced OnLaneAssist active steering technology for WABCO’s portfolio of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). WABCO’s OnLaneAssist helps improve commercial vehicle safety and driver comfort by avoiding collisions related to unintentional lane departures, WABCO said. The launch follows WABCO’s recent acquisition of steering technology supplier R.H. Sheppard Co., and the signing of a cooperation agreement
ZF launches electric park brake on Ford F-150
ZF will now offer the heavy-duty electric park brake (EPB) on the 2018 Ford F-150, which the companies say is the first launch of a heavy duty electric park brake system in North America for larger light trucks. “The electric park brake … can result in a weight savings of up to 20 lbs. or more
Meritor launches optimized EX+ air disc brake
Meritor Inc. announced that its EX+ air disc brake for tractors and trailers has been optimized to reduce product weight and total cost of ownership. The optimized EX+ will be available to OEMs in 2018. “By updating and optimizing the EX+, our engineers reduced weight by 10 lbs. per brake,” said Chris Villavarayan, Meritor’s president for
