Tank Truck Fleet Tests Rollover-Prevention Warning Systems
A tank truck barrels toward an exit ramp. As it rounds the curve, the contents of the tank shift to the left. A warning on the dashboard informs the driver that a rollover is possible. The engine brake kicks in, the truck slows, and the driver arrives safely at his destination.
That scenario almost never plays out on our country’s highways because the technology to inform drivers of impending doom is not yet commercially available.
The test by Freightliner and Praxair focuses on rollover prevention, but DOT is running a second test targeted at tank trucks for its Intelligent Vehicle Initiative, designed not only to prevent rollovers but also to better prepare emergency responders if a rollover does occur.
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 |  Freightliner Corp. |
| Freightliner’s Roll Advisor & Control warns truckers when their rig is in danger of tipping. |
In most cases, the driver is aware of what the speed should be. But rollovers and tank trucks can literally be a combustible, lethal combination. So the Department of Transportation, Freightliner Corp. and Praxair Inc., a tank truck operator out of Tonawanda, N.Y., are testing a rollover warning system in six trucks.
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