Technology, Rules Attempted to Reduce Truck Crashes in '05

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number of promising new safety systems designed to help drivers maintain vehicle control took center stage in 2005, as truck makers and fleet managers evaluated an array of emerging technologies with the potential to reduce the number of truck crashes.

The year also saw regulatory activity with implications for safety, such as the sleeper-berth provision of the drivers’ hours-of-service rules, and a proposal to cut the required stopping distance for heavy-duty trucks.

Electronic stability control systems — designed to prevent rollovers by actively controlling the braking and engine speed of trucks during turns — moved to the forefront, as all major North American truck manufacturers began to offer such systems on their 2005 modeln.

In addition, Volvo Trucks North America Inc. said it would offer an electronic stability control system as standard equipment on its heavy-duty Class 8 trucks, beginning in 2006.

For the full story, see the Jan. 2 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.