Trucking Alliance Clarifies Stance on Advanced Safety Technologies
Photo: Evan Lockridge
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Photo: Evan Lockridge
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The Alliance for Driver Safety & Security, also known as the Trucking Alliance, has released an addendum to a statement it issued on Nov. 1 that endorses a new study on truck safety conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Study.
That study, “Leveraging Large Truck Technology and Engineering to Realize Safety Gains,” cited four advanced safety technologies that AAA found can greatly reduce injuries and fatalities in large truck crashes:
In the new statement, the Trucking Alliance said it is “asking affiliating carriers to support the deployment of Advanced Safety Technologies (ASTs) in newly purchased trucks that are appropriate for improving their operations. However, the ASTs are not limited to the four technologies in the AAA Foundation, as some news outlets have reported.”
The Trucking Alliance then stated that there is “a wide variety of ASTs available or under development for large trucks, including but not limited to the following:
Forward Collision WarningAdaptive Cruise ControlAutomatic Emergency Braking Systems*Lane Departure Warning Systems*“Blind Spot” Warning SystemsElectronic Stability ControlRoll Stability ControlSpeed LimitersVideo-based Onboard Safety Monitoring systems*Kinematic-based Onboard Safety Monitoring SystemsVehicle-to-vehicle CommunicationElectronic Logging devicesAir Disc Brakes (ADBs)*Brake Stroke Monitoring Systems
*Recommended in the ATA Foundation for Traffic Safety Report
“It should be further clarified that Trucking Alliance carriers do not currently have all of these technologies installed on the approximately 71,000 trucks they are operating on the nation’s highways,” the group stated, adding that many of these technologies are still being tested under various pilot projects.
The Trucking Alliance pointed out that some ASTs, such as roll stability control systems, have been in operation by fleets for a decade. “Most carriers are utilizing roll stability control systems. Other technologies, such as video and kinematic-based onboard safety monitoring systems and ‘Blind Spot’ mirror replacement systems cited in the list above are …Read the rest of this story
