​Boyle Transportation Nurtures Its Culture Of Safety With Bendix Technology And Knowledge

October 2016

ELYRIA, OH… Safety drives every decision at Boyle Transportation.

For 45 years, the Billerica, Massachusetts, company has transported security-sensitive cargo across the United States and Canada. From the professional drivers behind the wheel to the technicians who keep the fleet’s 65 tractors and 230 trailers in good working condition, to management making decisions on equipping and spec’ing, safety is top of mind.

On and off the road, Boyle’s safety-first philosophy is supported by Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems’ technology and expertise.

In early 2016, Boyle began spec’ing Bendix® ADB22X air disc brakes on all steer and drive axles of its 65 Freightliner tractors. The company’s journey to standardizing ADBs, however, began in 2011, when Boyle Fleet Manager Ben Curtis attended a seminar on disc brake technology overseen by Martin Pytlak, a Bendix service engineer. “Knowing that Reduced Stopping Distance rules were coming into effect, and that disc brakes on trucks were right around the corner, I realized I didn’t know much about them, so I was glad to attend,” Curtis said. “And Martin knows his stuff: He had obviously spent a lot of time under the truck, and I took a lot of notes and learned quite a bit.” Equipped with his new knowledge, Curtis extensively researched the air disc brakes on the market, and recommended the ADB22X.

“We’re deploying new trucks with the Bendix air disc brakes now, and we’re extremely pleased,” he said. “Adoption of disc brakes has cleared up a huge thorn in my side – you hit the brakes to slow down, and you know you’re going to get that smooth, car-like feel. You don’t wonder if you’re going to get vibration, or a pull, or a shudder. The feedback we’ve gotten directly from our professional drivers has been very positive.”

That feedback and performance has begun to shape Boyle’s trailer spec’ing as well: The fleet is ordering the Bendix® ADB22X unit on all its new refrigerated trailers.

While air discs are Boyle’s choice moving forward with new tractors and reefers, Curtis said the company has significantly improved on some of its existing trucks’ drum brake performance by installing Bendix Reduced Stopping Distance (RSD) compliant replacement shoes equipped with Bendix® Advanced BA202R friction. On several newer trucks equipped with drums designed to meet RSD standards, Boyle encountered “grabbing” and noise issues during brake application. Bendix Advanced BA202R – which was the industry’s first aftermarket friction certified to maintain RSD compliance – has eliminated those troubles.

As an early adopter of safety technologies, Boyle equipped all of its trucks with AutoVue® Lane Departure Warning (LDW) systems even before Bendix acquired the product from Iteris in 2011. But while Boyle recognized the value and effectiveness of AutoVue’s vision-based technology, the company had trouble implementing seamless operation with its two-driver trucking teams.

Using a forward-facing camera and software, the AutoVue system detects when a commercial vehicle begins to drift toward an unintended or unsignaled lane change, and provides alerts. “We brought in every one of our trucks and put the system in,” Curtis said. “But it was equipped with an audible ‘rumble strip’ that played through speakers, and we had a lot of complaints from our teams. Two professional drivers on every truck allow us to go practically nonstop, but it also means there’s always somebody in the bunk for their needed rest. The lane departure warning’s audible alert interrupts that rest.”

Boyle turned to Bill Patrolia, national sales manager at Bendix, who suggested updating the system with Bendix’s haptic feedback capability, which alerts the driver at the wheel through a vibration in the seat without intruding on the resting team member. It was an ideal solution: “Drivers who hated the lane departure warning changed their tune and said this was a system they could use,” Curtis said.

Curtis added that Boyle is also taking steps toward incorporating the AutoVue® camera with Bendix’s user-friendly web portal, SafetyDirect®. This system wirelessly and automatically transmits real-time video, driver performance data, and other event-based information to the fleet’s back office for analysis by fleet safety personnel.

Boyle began using tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) on its trucks in 2009, in part to improve safe vehicle operation on its shorter routes. “We’d have trucks running from New Jersey to Boston, which is about a five-hour drive during which the driver rarely needs to get out of the truck,” Curtis said. “Sometimes we’d have trucks come in on a low tire, and the driver knew it was fine when they started the trip. So we needed a monitoring system.”

The fleet tried a few different systems, but was disappointed with respect to product support and reliability. Then one day, in the cab during a Freightliner safety technology demonstration in Ohio, Curtis spotted a SmarTire® by Bendix TPMS gauge on the dash. “I grabbed the truck’s VIN, ran it, and then realized I could have the Bendix product installed on our trucks on the factory line,” he said. “That’s a huge advantage in terms of cost – and it’s a very good system, since it looks at both temperature and pressure.”

Because tire pressure rises as temperature increases during normal vehicle operation, SmarTire uses wheel-mounted sensors to continuously monitor temperature and pressure inside each tire. These sensors enable the system to provide a deviation value that shows the amount of overinflation or underinflation from the tire’s cold inflation pressure (CIP), automatically taking into account any increase in pressure due to temperature, and adjusting the system’s alerts accordingly. This compensation allows the system to provide earlier warnings of potential tire problems – and when it comes to safety, sooner is better.

“Martin [Pytlak] also went over the system with our team, and really knew his way around it, offering valuable insight on optimal operation and parameters,” Curtis said. “This is a guy who’s worked in the real world with these trucks, which makes a huge difference – and everybody who attends his presentations quickly realizes that.”

In several ways, Curtis noted, post-sales support and practical knowledge are as important as system performance and reliability when it comes to Boyle’s safety commitment.

With Boyle’s new air disc-braked trucks on the way, Curtis arranged for Pytlak to conduct a seminar on the technology for the fleet’s service department. He also invited attendees from a regional truck center, a distributor, and a local dealer. “It was very well received,” Curtis said. “We had a truck with the front wheel off, and Martin was right in there, pointing things out, getting his hands dirty. He’s got tremendous credibility and respect.”

From ideas and questions about compressors to keeping up with EPA regulations affecting air system treatment, and across the entire array of safety systems and technology, Boyle has come to value the input of the Bendix team, and shared it with others in the trucking industry.

“I’m involved with a local maintenance group, and we meet once a month,” Curtis said. “Through [Bendix Aftermarket Account Manager] Steve Proulx, we arranged for Martin speak to that group. Steve is also very knowledgeable, and they make a good combination: I would have pulled the plug quickly if it was just a sales pitch, but these two guys are all about supporting the product and sharing their expertise. Bendix is always available to assist us over the phone or by email, and I always get good answers. They know what they’re doing. When we spec our equipment, oversee its use and repair, and answer to both our professional drivers and our company leaders, we know we can rely on Bendix to help us get the job done and keep our fleet rolling safely.”

Bendix safety technologies complement safe driving practices and are not intended to enable or encourage aggressive driving. No commercial vehicle safety technology replaces a skilled, alert driver exercising safe driving techniques and proactive, comprehensive driver training. Responsibility for the safe operation of the vehicle remains with the driver at all times.

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