Okay, I admit, I was a little disappointed with the “ride ‘n’ drive” event I attended last week in Joliet, IL. I had been invited by the folks at Meritor WABCO to see a demonstration of their latest safety systems, including Electronic Stability Control, Roll Stability Control, Roll Stability Support, and the OnGuard (TM) Collision Safety System with adaptive cruise control, and the demo was to take place at the Route 66 Drag Strip–how cool is that?

Well, it turns out that demo didn’t actually take place on the drag strip itself, but in the parking lot adjacent to the strip. But the disappointment was fleeting, because once I got into the demo trucks to experience Meritor WABCO’s systems first-hand, I was greatly impressed. First came a ride in a truck with the full complement of tractor and trailer stability control systems, and it was amazing… The company driver took a tractor-trailer up to about 40 mph and took us through first an emergency lane-change maneuver and then an offramp J-turn maneuver, to show us how well the truck would behave. Now, 40 mph isn’t very fast, but it’s not hard to imagine how dangerous a Class-8 truck and trailer can be if they go out of control even at that speed. In fact, at first the driver took us through the maneuvers with the systems off, and the trailer outriggers were the only things keeping the rig on its feet. But the next time around, with the safety systems on, they activated in time to decelerate the vehicle and keep it stable… The systems cut in at the last possible moment, so as to give the driver every chance to make corrections him or herself, but once they activate they keep that truck pinned to the pavement like nobody’s business.

Next up was the OnGuard system with adaptive cruise control. Imagine bearing down on a vehicle in a Class-8 rig, and having to react when that lead vehicle suddenly decelerates, or stops. With this new system, the truck maintained a safe distance behind the vehicle, and ground to a safe, stable stop when the lead vehicle made an emergency stop. Once again, the system cut in at the last moment, but when it did it left no doubt as to who–or in the case, what–was in charge.

Does this technology have a place in every heavy-duty fleet? Of course not. But for over-the-road fleets that can benefit from reduced collision losses, this type of system seems to be a no-brainer. Hats off to Meritor WABCO for bringing this technology to market, and for making the highway safer for all of us. But next time, how about just one run down the quarter mile?

I’ve said before in the pages of Fleet Maintenance Magazine, and I’ll say it again here: I have nothing but praise for the work done by the Emergency Vehicle Technician Certification Commission, Inc. (EVTCC). This group, operating out of Dundee, IL, has been setting certification standards for the technicians who maintain fire apparatus, rescue vehicles and ambulances for many years, then testing those technicians and certifying them to serve in their field. I recently received a newsletter from EVTCC announcing that 30 maintenance technicians had recently been certified or recertified as Master Technicians, and once again I am completely impressed that such professionalism is encouraged and rewarded in this industry.

The newsletter also had some interesting news stories that deepened my respect for this group. The stories described how last year the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) had issued NFPA 1911, a new standard for “Inspection, Maintenance, Testing and Retirement of In-Service Automotive Fire Apparatus,” and how EVTCC is now incorporating the NFPA 1911 standards in their new maintenance exams for fire apparatus and ambulances.

These guys don’t let their standards gather any dust, and neither should the rest of the industry. If you work in the emergency vehicle arena, you should be sending your technicians to the next round of EVTCC certification exams (they’re coming up on June 7th and October 18th), and if you don’t, you should study up on how EVTCC (www.evtcc.org) maintains its high standards for maintenance technicians. You could learn a lot from this group!

Today the American Trucking Associations unveiled an ambitious new Sustainability Program designed to lower CO2 emissions and save millions of gallons of diesel fuel. Announced at a press conference in Washington, D.C., by ATA President and CEO Bill Graves, the new program consists of six major initiatives that could revolutionize the trucking industry and the country’s transportation system. The six items, developed by a 25-member Sustainability Task Force led by Tommy Hodges, Chairman, Titan Transfer, Inc., are:

One: The American Trucking Associations recommends enacting a new national speed limit of 65 mph for all vehicles, and setting speed governors on new trucks at no more than 68 mph.

Two: The American Trucking Associations recommends pursuing a federal solution that reduces non-discretionary idling through highway infrastructure improvements and reduces discretionary idling through incentives for new technology.

Three: The American Trucking Associations recommends that shippers and carriers join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay(SM) Transport Partnership Program in order to achieve greater national gains in fuel efficiency and carbon reduction.

Four: The American Trucking Associations advocates initiatives to improve highway infrastructure and reduce congestion.

Five: The American Trucking Associations recommends introducing truck fleet combination changes as ways to reduce emissions, relieve congestion and conserve fuel.

Six: The American Trucking Associations supports setting technologically feasible national fuel economy standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks that reduce fuel consumption if they do not compromise the performance of the vehicles.

The program, referred to as “Trucks Deliver a Cleaner Tomorrow,” is an aggressive effort, and it includes some very specific, and very interesting, proposals. We’ll be writing a lot more about this program over time, but for now we want to get your initial impressions of these six proposals. Will they help? Will they hurt? Are you already doing some of these things? Let us know!