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• LifeGuard Sets Side-Roll Protective System
• ATRI, FMCSA to Host Safety Webinar
• Doubles Save Fuel, Reduce Accidents, CTA Says

LifeGuard Sets Side-Roll Protective System

LifeGuard Technologies said Monday it introduced a side-roll protection system for heavy trucks.

The system, LifeGuard RollTek, is available now on the new Freightliner Cascadia Class 8 truck, the company said. (Click here for related story.)

The system combines side airbag protection with seatbelt technology. In a rollover, the system deploys within a quarter of a second to minimize driver movement, cushioning head and neck impact and significantly reducing the potential for death or serious injury, the company said.

“Of all the fatalities in large commercial trucks, more than half can be attributed to rollovers,” said Larry Gray, the company's general manager. “We are pleased that RollTek side roll protection is now available to Freightliner customers." Transport Topics 

Doubles Save Fuel, Reduce Accidents, CTA Says

The use of “turnpike double” trailer configurations could reduce diesel consumption and bolster safety, according to a new report by the Canadian Trucking Alliance.

CTA said its report supports findings that trucks using doubles, which CTA defines as twin 48-foot or 53-foot trailers, could cut fuel consumption by 30% compared with single-trailer rigs.

Fleets participating in the study found that on average, doubles saved 29 liters for every 100 kilometers traveled —about 7.6 gallons for every 62 miles — compared with single trailers.

The report said doubles operating in Canada are “about two to three times safer than the overall tractor-trailer population . . . when measured on a per-vehicle kilometer of travel basis.” Transport Topics

ATRI, FMCSA to Host Safety Webinar

The American Transportation Research Institute and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will co-host a webinar on Monday, May 14, on roll stability control systems. The webinar will begin at 1 p.m.

To register, send an e-mail to fmcsa_host@dot.gov and include “SCS Webinar” in the subject line. Transport Topics