Welcome to my first blog post. As I ponder what I should write about, I received another concern regarding the new collision avoidance technology currently on our new equipment. Sounds like something good to write about… I would first like to explain how the system works, as there has been some confusion between the two functions. There are two main functions of this system, first there is adaptive cruise control and second is the collision mitigation.

Adaptive cruise control monitors the speed of the vehicles directly in front of the truck, if the vehicle is moving slower than your set cruise control and you move into the target range (approximately 2.8 seconds depending on the truck) the smart cruise will lightly apply the engine brake to match the vehicle speed. If the vehicle moves out of the target range or speeds up, adaptive cruise will automatically resume back to the set cruise control. There are some inherent issues with the system, if there is a large speed differential between your set cruise control speed and the speed of the vehicle in front, the engine brake will apply more aggressively and If the vehicle moves out of this range the truck will quickly attempt to resume speed. This is easily rectified by hitting the brakes to cancel the cruise, no different than you would need to do lacking the technology. There have been concerns of possibly losing control in the event of the system kicking in during a winter storm. First, it is not recommended to use the cruise in inclement weather. Second, you are still in control of the vehicle and if you see a vehicle moving very slow, change lanes (if safe) or cancel the cruise, this will eliminate any unexpected braking.

Collision mitigation only activates if your truck comes within .5 seconds from the vehicle in front and that vehicle is moving slower. You will hear the audible alerts prior to this occurring. To put this distance into perspective, as the back of the vehicle drops from sight under the hood this is .5 seconds, a collision is inevitable lacking any interference within a split second. The truck will apply two thirds of the braking power, yes you will notice this… but in most cases, it will stop you within inches of the other vehicle. There has been similar concerns as mentioned above about this system braking in the middle of a snow storm, but in these cases, a collision was about to occur anyways and with ABS brakes the truck will remain straight, assuming the driver is hanging onto the steering wheel.

System Issues!

Since these new trucks came into our system there has been a lot of issues with the devices. We have been working hard at correcting the many issues that we have seen and I will highlight some of the issues including what has been done. First; system false readings, we received many complaints about the system picking up vehicles that are not in our lane, bridges, signs etc. Following our investigation we determined that though the system was calibrated in the factory, they were not always correct. We have been recalibrating all the devices and it seems to have corrected the issue. In addition, there are several settings on the Volvo / Kenworth units that control the distances and audible alerts, which has been a frustration of many drivers. BEEP BEEP BEEP…. We believe that we have found the correct setting that reduces the driver frustration, including the volume button. The last issue that we have been dealing with is system faults, there has been many system fault errors over the past few months and we have had the manufacturer here many times as we attempt to work through the bugs. This is still an ongoing issue, though we believe we are getting closer to resolution.

System Benefits!

Though we have had some challenges as we implement this new technology, I do feel there is a benefit to the system and do not want to throw in the towel on it. There is nothing better than a second pair of eyes that are always on alert for you. That is what this system does. It guards us against that driver that cuts in front and immediately hits the brakes. This occurs all the time, though in most cases our drivers are prepared and avoid the collision, there are many cases where the driver happens to be checking a mirror and it is too late to react. It guards us against that car that lost control and is blocking a lane ahead that we cannot see. Though the audible alerts can be annoying, they do serve a valuable purpose, alert the driver that something needs there attention. Lastly, though most will not admit to this, it forces us to drive defensively. The system will change a drivers behavior, or drive you nuts… If you have a habit of following too close, this system will drive you crazy until you open your following distance. I believe that we will see a decrease in collisions if Drivers adapt to this system, and drive defensively.

Special thanks to all the Drivers that are helping us work through the bugs. I understand that it has been frustrating.

Steve Newton
Director of Safety