Lakshmi Narayanan Ramanujam
Lakshmi Narayanan Ramanujam
Lakshmi Narayanan Ramanujam
Lakshmi Narayanan Ramanujam
Lakshmi Narayanan Ramanujam

Safety systems for North American Class 6 through 8 trucks

Oct. 11, 2014
There is an increased focus on safety systems for North American Class 6 to 8 trucks

Changing dynamics in the commercial vehicle market, combined with stringent regulations aimed at increasing safety and curbing emissions, are becoming key drivers in the adoption of safety technologies in trucks to reduce the risk of on-road accidents.

The Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) safety initiative and the revised Hours of Service (HOS) rules from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have been the trucking industry’s top concerns. CSA aims to monitor the safety behavior of motor carriers through its Safety Measurement System to identify high-risk behavior and conduct interventions whenever necessary. Plus, CSA creates greater transparency in the safety history of carriers and drivers.

As a consequence, motor carriers are turning vigilant to maintain CSA scores and are thus positively affecting safety. 

VEHICLE STABILITY

Another dynamic is the shortage of skilled drivers in the trucking industry. This has resulted in a less experienced driver population which has led to a higher risk potential for fleets.

The FMCSA is progressively looking at implementing mandates in the next year which would require fleets to install a stability control system in their vehicles. The existing and impending regulations put forward by FMCSA will catalyze the market for safety technologies in the future, which will in turn, benefit fleets by reducing the crash potential from inexperienced drivers through the installation of onboard safety technologies.

CHANGE IN PERCEPTION

In light of increased focus on margins, return on investment (ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO), the high initial cost of investment for safety technologies is expected to have a direct impact on the adoption rates among fleets. Since fleet managers are looking at a substantial ROI when investing in safety technologies, there is a noticeable rising awareness of the importance of onboard safety systems with the realization that, when employed, they help improve safety ratings by reducing accidents and staying in compliance with the regulations.

Connected V2V and V2I technologies, along with development of autonomous vehicles, are also expected to gain prominence in the near future, owing to increased focus on safety, the environment and economical and operational efficiency of trucks.

THE TOTAL MARKET

The total market for safety systems – consisting of Driver Information Warning Systems (DIWS), Active Chassis Control Systems (ACCS) and Integrated Safety Systems (ISS) – installed at the OE level is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 17.5 percent until 2020. In particular, DIWS such as Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems and Lane Departure Warning Systems are expected to gain traction among fleet managers in the market, mainly due to the benefits of fuel economy, vehicle stability, longer tire tread life, cost-effectiveness and crash avoidance potential.

ACCS technologies, such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC), are projected to have a higher market penetration, attributable to the expected FMCSA stability control mandates.

With fleets chasing “too many safety technologies with too few consumer dollars,” integrated safety technologies that offer multiple safety benefits are expected to attract higher interest from fleet managers than stand-alone systems such as ESC, Roll Stability Control Systems and Automatic Collision Mitigation System.

TELEMATICS

For precise transport scheduling and effective shipping of freight, fleets are turning their attention towards telematics technologies. Besides improved regulatory compliance and TCO reduction, telematics technologies also aid fleets in remote prediction of impending vehicle system failure apart from providing security enhancement. Among the applications that are expected to gain traction are prognostics, real-time dynamic navigation, stolen vehicle tracking and safety system intervention alert.

With better accessibility of data through telematics, fleets can use the data for driver training and address problems through actionable data to improve safety customs.

Along with looking to improve safe driving practices and reduce the amount of risk by using advanced safety technologies, fleets are also evaluating the ROI of safety systems based on their ability to lower vehicle maintenance costs while improving CSA scores, fuel economy and driving performance. This, too, is expected to stoke the adoption of safety technologies among fleets. 

DISTRIBUTED ELECTRONICS IN TRUCKS

The rapid increase in distributed electronics in trucks is enabling the creation of electronic interfaces for truck systems with a vehicle’s communication infrastructure. The usage of multiplexed architecture designed for effective integration of electronics and safety systems in trucks is also on the rise.

Fleet maintenance managers’ decisions are guided by a diverse set of needs, such as cost reduction, while also solving current operating challenges, such as regulation compliance and mobile resource safety. With the increase adoption of onboard safety technologies, they would have to deal with procedures aimed at maintaining and servicing electronic systems, in addition to periodic inspections of the safety systems to guarantee effective operation of the systems.

Frost and Sullivan believes that with the advancement of safety systems, electronics, communication and networking infrastructure, it is imperative that fleet maintenance managers continually aim at deriving the benefits accrued by employing safety technologies in their trucks through consistent monitoring and periodic maintenance of these systems.

Lakshmi Narayanan Ramanujam is a senior research analyst for Frost & Sullivan’s Automotive & Transportation Commercial Vehicle research practice. His responsibilities include product development, design optimization and product and project evaluation of solutions. He has expertise in design and development of product fulfilment workflows. Frost & Sullivan (www.frost.com) works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants.