Peterbilt Makes Bendix Collision Mitigation Technology Standard On Model 579 Trucks
ELYRIA, OH… Building on five years of positive customer feedback and increasing demand since Bendix® Wingman® Advanced™ – A Collision Mitigation Technology was first offered on Peterbilt Motors Company’s Model 579, Peterbilt is making the active safety system standard on its leading on-highway truck beginning July 1.
“We’re excited to keep strengthening the relationship that Bendix technologies and the Peterbilt 579 have had since this trailblazing truck was launched in 2012,” said Scott Burkhart, Bendix vice president – sales, marketing, and business development. “As a trucking industry safety leader, Peterbilt has always set high bars for safety, reliability, quality, and performance in its vehicles. The 579 is no exception, and Wingman Advanced in standard position will help Peterbilt continue to reach and exceed those goals.”
Bendix Wingman Advanced – a radar-based collision mitigation system that helps drivers mitigate rear-end collisions – is a proven technology with millions of on-road miles that delivers adaptive cruise control with braking, as well as autonomous emergency braking (AEB). It is built on the full-stability Bendix® ESP® Electronic Stability Program, creating a system that can help drivers in collisions, potential rollovers, and loss-of-control situations.
Peterbilt has offered Bendix ESP as standard on most of its Class 8 tractors – including the 579 – since 2012. Wingman Advanced has been an option on its entire range of on-highway truck models for the same period.
“The pairing of our most sophisticated truck with Bendix’s cutting-edge active safety systems has proven popular with fleets and drivers over the past five years, so making Wingman® Advanced™ standard on the Model 579 makes perfect sense from our perspective,” said Robert Woodall, Peterbilt’s assistant general manager of sales and marketing. “Like the team at Bendix, Peterbilt is always working toward safer trucks and safer highways, and is dedicated to embracing technologies that have been road-tested and shown to make a positive, measurable impact.”
Wingman Advanced was launched in 2011 by Bendix, the North American leader in the development and manufacture of leading-edge active safety and braking system technologies for commercial vehicles.
Peterbilt and Bendix have a well-established partnership when it comes to braking and safety technologies. In addition to Wingman Advanced and ESP®, the truck manufacturer offers Bendix’s flagship driver assistance system, Bendix® Wingman® Fusion™, on both the 579 and its vocational Model 567. The SmarTire® Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) by Bendix CVS has been available as a factory-installed option on Peterbilt Class 8 tractors since 2014, and the Bendix® ADB22X™ air disc brake has been standard equipment on Peterbilt Class 8 steer axles since 2012.
Wingman® Advanced™: Driver Assistance through Alerts and Interventions
Using a front-mounted radar sensor, Wingman Advanced provides warnings and active interventions, including following distance, impact, and stationary object alerts – whether cruise control is engaged or not. To help maintain safe following distance behind a forward vehicle when cruise control is in use, the system will actively intervene by reducing the throttle, engaging the engine retarder, or applying the foundation brakes.
The system’s collision mitigation feature provides additional interventions whether cruise control is activated or not, alerting the driver and automatically applying the brakes when Wingman Advanced senses a rear-end collision may be imminent. The driver can help avoid or minimize the collision situation through additional braking or steering, and maintains control of the vehicle at all times.
When the vehicle is approaching a large stationary metallic object – a car, for instance, or a steel drum, or another metallic obstruction in the lane of travel – Wingman Advanced delivers an innovative stationary object alert. These audible and visual alerts are always available above 10 mph, and assist a driver’s response time by providing up to 3 seconds’ warning before a potential impact.
Bendix® Wingman® Fusion™: Fusing Technologies to Expand Capabilities
Peterbilt has offered Wingman® Fusion™ on its vehicles since summer 2016. Built on Wingman® Advanced™ and Bendix® ESP®, Fusion integrates the proven, road-tested suite of Bendix radar and full-stability (Bendix ESP) technologies with a forward-facing camera to create a comprehensive, unique approach to driver assistance.
By combining and cross-checking information from multiple sources, Fusion can deliver enhanced rear-end collision mitigation, braking on stationary vehicles, lane departure warning, and overspeed alert and action – capabilities not available on the Bendix Wingman Advanced collision mitigation technology. The system also helps drivers avoid additional crash situations, including rollovers, loss-of-control, and sideswipe crashes, all while prioritizing driver alerts to help reduce distraction. The Wingman Fusion system camera is powered by the Mobileye System-on-Chip EyeQ processor with state-of-the-art vision algorithms.
Since Fusion’s video, radar, and other sensors work together, and not just in parallel, the system realizes events sooner – alerting the driver and decreasing the vehicle’s speed up to twice as much – to help the driver mitigate potential collisions or lessen their severity.
Drivers Remain Crucial to Safety
“Drivers across North America are on the front lines of highway safety day in and day out, and even the most effective, envelope-pushing system is no replacement for a safe, alert driver exercising safe driving habits, and being supported by proactive, ongoing training,” Burkhart said. “Our technologies are designed to assist – not replace – the men and women behind the wheel in doing their jobs as safely and effectively as possible, and to help ensure that everyone’s time on the road ends with a safe return home.”
Advanced driver assistance technologies are part of the ever-growing Bendix portfolio of technologies that deliver on safety, plus other areas critical to fleets’ success. Bendix aims to strengthen returns on investment in equipment and technology by improving vehicle performance and efficiency, and providing unparalleled post-sales support. These efforts ultimately help fleets and drivers lower their total costs of vehicle ownership and lead to safer trucks and roadways.
Explore the Bendix multimedia center at HYPERLINK "http://knowledge-dock.com/" knowledge-dock.com for more insight on advanced safety technology development, driver assistance systems, and commercial vehicle safety regulations. Product- and service-related content is presented in podcasts, blogs, videos, and more. For more information about Bendix collision mitigation systems, call Bendix at 1-800-AIR-BRAKE or visit HYPERLINK "http://www.safertrucks.com/solutions" www.safertrucks.com/solutions.
About Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, a member of the Knorr-Bremse Group, develops and supplies leading-edge active safety technologies, energy management solutions, and air brake charging and control systems and components under the Bendix® brand name for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, tractors, trailers, buses, and other commercial vehicles throughout North America. An industry pioneer, employing more than 3,000 people, Bendix is driven to deliver solutions for improved vehicle safety, performance, and overall operating cost. Contact us at 1-800-AIR-BRAKE (1-800-247-2725) or visit http://www.bendix.com/. Stay connected and informed through Bendix expert podcasts, blog posts, videos, and other resources at http://www.safertrucks.com/knowledge-dock. Follow Bendix on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Bendix_CVS. Log on and learn from the Bendix experts at http://www.brake-school.com/. And to learn more about career opportunities at Bendix, visit http://www.bendix.com/careers.