All New UPS Class 8 Tractors Will Have Collision Mitigation (with video)
NORWALK, Ohio — With more than 50 years of accident-free driving combined, UPS Inc.’s Bill Lazarski and Paul Savill said it is unnatural for them to speed or tailgate.
But those risky driving maneuvers were required for them to take part in tests of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems’ safety technology at Summit Motorsports Park here July 21.
The demonstrations took place the same day UPS announced it was making Bendix’s collision-mitigation technology standard equipment on all of the carrier’s new Class 8 tractors.
UPS, which has spec’d its tractors with electronic stability control since 2012, will take delivery of 2,600 trucks manufactured this calendar year by multiple manufacturers that utilize Bendix’s Wingman Advanced system.
Besides electronic stability and air disc brakes, the Wingman Advanced system offers adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, blind-spot detection and forward-view radar to help prevent accidents or decrease their severity.
“We’re investing in technology that provides UPS drivers with opportunities to increase visibility of their surroundings in constantly changing environments,” said Randy Stashick, UPS’ president of engineering. “The safety benefits of these technologies make incorporating them into UPS’ fleet the right thing to do for our employees and fellow motorists.”
Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board called on the government to make mandatory the installation of forward-collision-avoidance systems on all new vehicles.
Lazarski, a package driver who has more than 36 years of safe driving, and Savill, an America’s Road Team Captain who drives for the less-than-truckload Freight unit, are among a select number of truckers the Atlanta-based company has turned to in recent years to help evaluate safety technologies.
At the event here, they observed members of the Bendix team run through a series of tests to illustrate what audible warnings or corrective actions to expect before they tried it out for themselves.
First was electronic stability control, which Bendix calls ESP. The federal government recently mandated that most new Classes 7-8 highway tractors made on or after Aug. 1, 2017, have stability control installed.
After a lap swerving around cones and tight turns without the technology in a specially modified truck to prevent an actual rollover, a second lap with the system turned on provided a much smoother ride.
“This confirmed all my years of safety training,” Savill said after witnessing how easily a truck could roll over if traveling too fast through a curve.
Lazarski said he was impressed how the ESP prevents a driver from accelerating and could recognize a potential situation exists before the driver.
After several hours of testing the other technologies as part of the Wingman system, Lazarski said he couldn’t “wait to get back to talk to his fellow drivers” in the Chicago area.
“I want to tell them not to be afraid” of these technologies, he said.
Lazarski also shared a piece of advice he will have for drivers who are opposed to the safety technology.
“If you hear too many beeps, you need to ask. ‘What are you doing wrong?’ ” he said.
Savill took away a similar message from his experience.
“It is nice to know they are there but it isn’t going to help if you are not safe. They can’t overcome bad road conditions or bad decisions,” he said.
He added: “As a driver, I am the most important safety feature on the truck . . . but this provides another layer of comfort to ensure I deliver the freight safely.”
Bendix executives, including T.J. Thomas and Fred Andersky, praised the UPS method of testing the technology with its top drivers and developing a training program so all drivers can better understand the system.
The demonstrations included a test of the Wingman Fusion system, which UPS still is evaluating.
Fusion enhances Wingman Advanced by integrating a camera and radar into one package that can detect vehicles in a truck’s path and warn drivers and fleets when a truck exceeds posted speed limits.
First announced at the Mid-America Trucking Show in March, it currently is available on International ProStar tractors. Thomas, Bendix’s director of corporate marketing, said he expects it to become available on additional International models and be offered by more truck makers, in the near future.
In its announcement, UPS, North America’s largest trucking company, also said that each new Class 8 tractor ordered will employ an automated manual transmission. By eliminating the need to shift gears, drivers have a greater opportunity to implement proactive defensive driving techniques, the carrier said.
The company also said tractors that pull multiple trailers may utilize a telescoping converter dolly that automatically reduces the space between the trailers to 12 inches from 40 inches at speeds of 45 mph or higher. Less buffeting between trailers increases stability and boosts fuel efficiency by 2.5% to 3.5%.
