Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Bendix) has now delivered more than 400,000 Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program systems as the market continues to drive adoption of full-stability technology. Robust, growing sales over the last five years led to this latest delivery milestone. The achievement reinforces the company’s position as an industry leader in full-stability technology.
Bendix ESP, the first full-stability solution widely available for the commercial vehicle market, fully meets the new stability mandate of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which in June published its final rule requiring ESC (Electronic Stability Control) technology – known as full stability – on Class 7 and Class 8 truck tractors and motorcoaches with a gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 11,793 kilograms (26,000 lbs). NHTSA will implement the mandate in three phases, starting August 1, 2017, for most 3-axle tractors.
“More and more fleets, truck makers, and drivers are turning to Bendix ESP, and they’re doing so with confidence in a rigorously tested, reliable system that has been proven over many millions of real-world miles since its launch 10 years ago,” said Scott Burkhart, Bendix vice president – sales, marketing, and business development. “The technology rewards fleets by helping to decrease the number of heavy truck accidents and improve safety records, while delivering the value they require. As NHTSA’s mandate is implemented, the benefits of full stability will be experienced industry wide and help to improve highway safety even further.”
Bendix, the North American leader in the development and manufacture of active safety and braking solutions for commercial vehicles, introduced Bendix ESP in 2005. It took six years to reach 100,000 units sold, but that mark was tripled in the subsequent three-year period as original equipment manufacturers and fleets sought the technology.
Mack and Volvo offer Bendix ESP as standard equipment on their highway tractors, and it comes standard on the majority of Peterbilt Motor Company’s Class 8 trucks and tractors as well. Other manufacturers offering the Bendix ESP system include International, Kenworth, and Prevost. Bendix ESP is also available for more than 80 percent of all medium duty chassis configurations at PACCAR and Navistar.
Earlier this year, Motor Coach Industries (MCI), the leading intercity coach manufacturer in the United States and Canada, also announced the availability of Bendix ESP on its vehicles. Blue Bird Corporation added Bendix ESP as a factory-installed option in late 2014, making it the first North American school bus manufacturer to offer stability technology.
Fleets equipping Bendix ESP include Prime Inc., one of North America’s most successful refrigerated, flatbed, and tanker trucking companies; U.S. Xpress Enterprises, the nation’s second largest privately owned truckload carrier; and Saia LTL Freight, a top 10 carrier in the LTL sector with coverage in 34 states.
For its stability mandate, NHTSA chose ESC over RSC (Roll Stability Control), or roll-only technology. Fred Andersky, Bendix director of government and industry affairs, emphasized that Bendix always prefers to let the market be the catalyst to drive safety technology. The company applauds NHTSA’s decision, and believes ESC is the superior choice for safety, performance, and value. In terms of market acceptance, Andersky pointed out, ESC has been outselling RSC at a rate of three to one, up from three to two in recent years.
He stated that the commercial vehicle market is choosing full-stability technology in ever-increasing numbers as it strives to enhance driver and highway safety. Andersky noted two primary differences between vehicles equipped with full-stability technology and those with either a roll-stability system or ABS (antilock braking system) only.
First, full-stability systems use more sensors than either roll-only stability or ABS systems, creating a more comprehensive system capable of addressing both roll and directional stability. These additional sensors enable the unit to more quickly recognize factors that could lead to vehicle rollovers or loss-of-control. On dry surfaces, this means the system recognizes and mitigates conditions that could lead to rollover and loss-of-control situations sooner than roll-only options. Full-stability technology also functions in a wider range of driving and road conditions than roll-only systems, including snowy, ice-covered, and slippery surfaces. ABS systems are not designed to react to potential roll or loss-of-control situations.
And interventions can also differ. Full-stability systems rely on automatic brake interventions involving the steer, drive, and trailer axles, whereas roll-only systems typically apply the brakes on only the drive and trailer axles. Slowing the vehicle quickly helps mitigate rollovers faster, while slowing and redirecting can help the driver maneuver in loss-of-control situations.
