NHTSA Official Talks Autonomous Vehicles, Safety Tech at FTX

Photo by Thi Dao

Tim Johnson, director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Vehicle Research and Test Center, gave the keynote address at the Fleet Technology Expo in Schaumburg, Ill. Johnson provided an overview of vehicle safety technologies, covering systems that have recently been introduced to the market as well as technologies currently being developed, such as autonomous vehicles.

NHTSA conducts research on safety systems, offers grants, and sets policy related to traffic safety. Its Vehicle Research and Test Center evaluates safety systems from a variety of sources.

"We're testing whatever we can get our hands on at the test facility," Johnson said.

The main focus of the presentation was autonomous vehicles, and Johnson provided details of five levels of autonomous vehicle technology. Driver alert systems, such as crash warnings and electronic stability control, are considered Level 0 because they alert the driver but do not offer any sustained control of the vehicle. Level 1 features, which offer sustained lateral or longitudinal control, are being incorporated in many safety systems today, including adaptive cruise control and truck platooning.

Level 2 features offer sustained lateral and longitudinal control, in which the driver is responsible for monitoring the driving environment and retaking control. An example of this level is the Tesla autopilot. At the moment, no available vehicles have reached Levels 3-5, though Johnson noted that it's the next step. The agency issued a federal policy on autonomous vehicles in September.

The agency's ultimate vision is implementing onboard sensors and vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems for 360-degree awareness around the vehicle. Johnson believes that more safety technologies will cut down on accidents significantly.

Johnson also took questions from conference attendees, addressing the importance of keeping vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems secure and government's role in promoting safety technologies.

Related: Feds Release Autonomous Vehicle Policy

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

Eco Flaps gains SmartWay verification

Is Video as a Safety Strategy in Your Future?

SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS -- If you're not using some form of forward-facing video system in your trucks, you should be. And the sooner the better. That's the feeling of Mike Nalepka, CEO of VideoProtects.com, a consulting and advocacy company focused on transportation video technologies. Nalepka, speaking at the Bobit Business Media Fleet Technology Expo yesterday, told attendees that video may be an emerging technology but it's here to stay because it offers so many advantages for fleets.

"Current penetration of video technology is superficial at best," he says. "Our estimates suggest only about 6% of fleets have fully integrated video cameras and recording systems into their safety infrastructure management systems. That means 94% of fleets are not there at all or are just starting to investigate the possibilities. They are kicking the tires, doing their due diligence, talking to other carriers and trying to determine where the value lies."

Mike Nalepka, CEO of VideoProtects.com. Photo by Jim Park

"The penetration rates in those countries are in the 70-80% range because the technology is proven and is widely adopted," says Nalepka. "The story we usually get from insurers is the rate reductions will come when the claims go down. One way to reduce claims is to eliminate the frivolous claims at the source. Cameras do not lie."

Department of Transportation and Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administrations statistics tell us that somewhere around 60-70% of all the crashes involving heavy trucks are not the truck's fault. But carriers continue to shell ...Read the rest of this story

Mini Strobe LED Fits Several Applications

The Super Bright LEDs Low Profile Vehicle LED Mini Strobe Light is a multi-purpose SAE Class 1 LED strobe light that can be used in a variety of applications.

The 18-watt lights use 6 LEDs to emit bright amber, blue, red, green, white, alternating amber/white, amber/green, amber/blue, amber/red, blue/red, blue/white, or red/white illumination. They feature 19 flash patterns that can be synchronized between 4 light heads and controlled with a compatible switch.

A weatherproof aluminum housing and polycarbonate lens are built to withstand impact with road debris and exposure to wet conditions. Installation hardware is included along with foam anti-scratch pads for vehicle surface mounting. The LED lights operate within a wide 12-24 VDC range for vehicle compatibility.

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

Commentary: VW Does More Than You Think

Rolf Lockwood

Now that the initial brouhaha has died down after the news broke of the Volkswagen Truck & Bus investment in Navistar last month, there is probably one big question that still needs an answer in a lot of North American minds:

Like, who the heck is Volkswagen?

Well of course, folks will say, that's the German outfit that makes Beetles and Rabbits and designs a flowerpot into the dash? Sure is, but it's a lot more than that. In fact its list of shareholdings is 19 pages long.

On the car side, Volkswagen AG also owns Audi and Porsche. Lots of people will know that much, but did you know that it also owns England's Bentley brand? And Italy's Bugatti and Lamborghini. And the Czech Republic's Skoda. And Spain's Seat. All of them are VWs in a way.

Even the famous Italian motorcycle brand Ducati is in the stable.

Many people will be surprised to know that it also makes VW-branded medium- and heavy-duty trucks, sold outside Europe but in some 35 countries, from a base in Brazil (more on that in a bit). That company is Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus Ltda. But VW also owns Sweden's Scania and Germany's MAN, and the latter will be especially important in helping Navistar move forward on these shores.

All told, Volkswagen Truck & Bus (spun off from the mother company last year) produces trucks at 25 sites in 17 countries.

Both MAN and Scania produce their own engines. Scania also makes transmissions, its Opticruise automated manual being well regarded. The Swedish outfit's 16.4-liter V-8, making as much as 730 hp, was available two years before the date called for by the Euro 6 emissions mandate.

MAN also makes engines, and in fact Navistar's own 13-liter diesel is the result of technology sharing with the German firm. ...Read the rest of this story

Mentorship panel named for Trucking HR Canada event

Panel to discuss mentoring during Trucking HR Canada’s Driver Connect and Share event