What is the "BENDIX" system?

Yes, it does beep sometimes when going under viaducts or over railroad tracks. Does it mash on the brakes then? Not mine, ever and it's not every viaduct or railroad track it goes off. I don't drive in a world where there are continual viaducts followed by railroad crossings.

Control how you drive? Yes. But in a way that prevents you or discourages you from being too close to the that family of four in front of you. It's a good thing you can always override it, so tailgate to your heart's content.

Did you ever notice how the beeping is like a heart monitor? The same heart monitor they'd use after you hit that family of four because you chose to tailgate. First it is a slow beep, then a quicker beep beep, then like a heart attack, much like death.

Yeah, the lawyers will be interested in that data the Bendix has after you hit that family of four. They'll see how close you were and for how long. It's a tool to let you know "hey, ######, drive safer and quit tailgating". And they'll also see if that car cut you off or not.

Drivers complain about when four wheelers cut them off but then there are drivers who drive in a perpetual state of being cut off by maintaining that 1 second following distance.

Drivers say they are safe drivers by maintaining a safe following distance and this little gauge will either confirm it or not. If one is a safe driver, this gauge will never be a hinderance, however, if one doesn't maintain a safe following distance, this gauge will let it be known.

 

My issue with a lot of this technology is the idea that it will save us from ourselves. The problem is that we have to not only observe, but analyze the scene around us. I can have a 14 second cushion because I'm on wet roads in possible icing conditions, behind me is a truck sitting on my back bumper and I know if I brake he will be inside my trailer. I'm in the middle of Chicago traffic when suddenly the car passing me on the left cuts me off so he can get to the off ramp we are 100' away from. Does the computer know that the best thing to do is just ease off the throttle and not touch the brakes?

 

Does the driver behind you?

It's not about using one thing and forgeting the other. The driver should use the Bendix system (or On Guard) in addition to all of the other resources available. It doesn't replace the driver. The driver is still ultimately responsible for his truck.

It's like the GPS debate, use it with your common sense.

 

no it doesn't, because it locked my trailer brakes on me last year in the loop. I was coming off 55 north to 290/94 moving to the left to get to 94 lanes, car cut right in front me going to 290 lanes. I saw him coming and was covering the brake, I was only going 15/20mph, but that dang thing still hit the brakes. It's BS. What if it was icy? Even that low speed I'd lose control and in high congestion. Not good.

 

So what about the driver behind you? I've no control over them, except slowing down enough to irritate them to go around, which I do often enough.

 

you must be a dispatcher or company administration its hard to believe you are a driver supporting this trash.... I think I speak for 90% of drivers when I say leave us alone stop trying to babysit us with all this technical spy devices and v let us drive!! You clearly represent the 10% that takes anything "a company" says , runs for subpar pay , and its because of drivers like you that this industy is being pimped by greedy companies.....

 

Well, let's see, I've been called a recruiter before and now I can add a company admin and a dispatcher to my virtual resume here at TTF.

I am a driver who practices safe driving and believe EVERY driver should, professional and amateur alike. I also believe that one should use every tool at his disposal to drive safely.

But don't think of the Bendix as a tool to stop you from hitting that family of four you decided to tailgate when it's raining, think of it as a tool for them so you don't push that rear bumper into the engine compartment.

 

You "assume" too much.

 

You're gonna have to clairfy, I made no "assumptions."

 

You assume that the driver is complaint because they are "tailgating" a car with a family, thus also being very similar to the news agencies that sensationalize a story for dramatic effect.
Myself, the beeping is the biggest problem in two general areas.
In large cities, when all types of vehicles come in front of me, mostly coming to a ramp, or division of the highway.
The other is when coming onto a slower vehicle, usually a truck that I plan to pass, however, if I hang so far back that it's not beeping, then try to pass, there is enough room on my right for the typical impatient car to attempt to pass me on the right, or I end up holding up others to the point they get annoyed enough to call me #1.
Im fine with that, but I do my best to stay out of others way. Sure say all you want about just following the other truck, blah, fricking, blah. But I don't know how far they are going, and I'm not going to follow a slower truck for a few hundred miles when I don't have to. Now when I know that I'm getting off soon, and I mean in the next 20 miles or so; yeah I hang back, and just follow.
I also do not use cruise control. Not while that bs is hooked up. I've had too many false reads hit the brakes, that I do not trust it. The only real good use, is in heavy fog.