On Tuesday the American Trucking Association’s board of directors told vehicle manufacturers that it thinks every car and truck should come standard with automatic braking systems.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has already reached an agreement with 10 car manufacturers to make the systems standard in new cars, but truck manufacturers were not involved. Automated collision avoidance technology has already been implemented in some new trucks, but it is not a standard feature for most.
“In our role as a safety leader, we believe ATA needs to be at the forefront of advocating for proven safety technologies,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “The experience of our member fleets tells us that automatic emergency braking systems hold tremendous promise and as such, we believe manufacturers should make this equipment standard and the federal government should seriously look at issuing regulatory standards.”
Driver assistance technologies are becoming more and more common, even – and sometimes especially – in commercial motor vehicles. Safety advocacy groups tend to favor them, but some drivers feel that technologies such as automatic braking and speed limiters may actually make them less safe because they take control away from professional drivers.
“We are entering a new era of vehicle safety, focused on preventing crashes from ever occurring, rather than just protecting occupants when crashes happen,” said DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx. “But if technologies such as automatic emergency braking are only available as options or on the most expensive models, too few Americans will see the benefits of this new era.”
Source: truckinginfo, trucknews, thehill, prnewswire
If these big companies that have trucking schools actually trained their drivers properly, they would not need all these “techno-gadgets”. I was trained the right way over 28 years ago. Since then I driven alot of miles with no chargeable accidents on my record. I could make recommendations on training and regulations that would help all, but no one wants to listen.
The auto breaking is dangerous… one major company has had a driver killed this year because the braking system hit the brakes on an off ramp because of a construction barrel cause the truck to jack knife and roll the truck.
Truck drivers need to be able to control the truck not some computer that does not know road conditions and cannot tell the difference in a car and an overpass.
This is nothing more than another piece of evidence to prove that the ATA is bought and paid for by the mega carriers, government bureaucrats, and the US Chamber of Crony Capitalism.
100% TRUE!
Could not agree more
You got that right Brian white ATA is a Washington DC lobby mouth piece for the few master(mega trucking companies, insurance companies just to name afew) that benefit from all this changes in trucking laws and policies
ATA,wow really, more useless equipment, first speed limiters now this. Is ATA really in the drivers corner? Why don’t we just let dispatchers drive the trucks remotely like a drone. Driver training and experienced drivers are the correct route to take other than putting more electronic crap in these trucks. It’s funny that all these device’s will most likely be in the mega carrier’s fleets and some of them have some of the worst CSA scores out there. So safety yeah right completely unnecessary! ! Why doesn’t the ATA do something useful like help drive up freight rates for the industry, everything is getting more expensive and the profit margins are getting smaller and smaller.
Tyner Transport: Several years ago , I believe it was the owner of Schneider in an interview said that he only needs to make $10.00 a day per truck to run his business.
ATA is a lobby group in Washington DC for its few special interest. If you think they advocate for the benefit of regular owner operators.Like you and me you are wrong
I have a collision avoidance system, that came with my Prostar. It WILL pick up ghost signals (Cars in the turn lane, and vehicles that I’m passing on the interstate), and lock up the breaks. I finally disconnected it. Wasn’t waiting for it to do that on a snow day. The things are dangerous.
Snip snip, write up a repair order, it’ll never get fixed just like everything else on the truck.
these damn things are dangerous.
I now drive a truck with automatic breaking and collision avoidance, man I hate this thing. A few times it has slammed on my breaks when someone cuts in front of me attempting to make an off ramp, without the system I would slow and use my judgement, instead it takes over and causes issues with cars behind me and scares the crap out of me. It will also slow you down even with the cruise control set in order to match the vehicle in front of you keeping what it considers a safe distance, which in turn screws up your own set up when attempting to pass, at times it will slow you down when it perceives an issue with vehicles on your side or cones in a work zone….What if it is raining or snow and ice then what, I go out of control due to this B.S.
If a car rear end you then it is their fault not yours. They should have been driving at a safe distance, as should you when you were driving.
yeah but when someone cuts in front of you there is no safe distance.These brakes are dangerous and should not be installed on heavy trucks .
One, I have a dash camera on my truck. it is legal to use in the Court.
Two, the brakes don’t slam on you. The only thing is that for me it slows me down. It is a tool that is very useful for some people.
And finally what I find unsafe are people who don’t know how to drive or are too busy texting or talking on the phone while they are driving
I can see how this will cause multiple jack knife accidents on ice covered roads. If they want technology to drive trucks, let technology do 100% of it. This is another example of idiots behind a desk that don’t have to deal with what they impose on drivers that they can blame the results on.
I don’t know about dangerous, they can be annoying at times. However they might prevent those drivers who love to drive 20 feet off the back of a 4 wheelers bumper at 70 miles an hour. I see that every day.
The only complaint Ihave about the system is scaring the crap out of me when it activates when someone is exiting or entering the freeway.
That’s not really how it works.
When it gets you is on curves, where the traffic is exiting.
The slower traffic isn’t in your lane of travel, but the radar detects much slower traffic in front of you (because it’s on a curve) and it slams on the brakes at speed.
It’s happened to me three times, and I’ve lost 10mph in a second (it’s like if you floor the brakes) while on freeways, not exiting.
Apply that situation to icy roads and you’re going to be seeing some lawsuits.
Then you slow down, increase following distance, and drive more carefully. The majority of the accidents can be faulted to not driving in a safe manner. I have auto brakes, and I have never had an accident.
Kaiyla, I suppose from all of your comments that you are not a truck driver. If you are it probably took you three (3) years to deliver your first load. (It only went what 253 miles). Two of those years were probably sitting on ramps waiting for at least 2 miles of open road before you even moved forward.
Actually I have close to a million miles safe driving on myself. I have never had a ticket or a failed driver inspection. I have been driving for 10 years or so, and I have been on paper logs electronic logs I’ve crossed the border into Canada I crossed the border into Mexico and I have pulled doubles triples flatbed tankers and many other things in my time. And yes I do know what I’m talking about, and while I don’t like some of the tech, I do see a lot of it as a good thing.
Been driving Safe n Legal for 30 yrs. Accident n Ticket free, currently owner operator, 2010 Pro Star International with Collision Avoidance System and hardly ever goes off because I don’t drive like an Idiot as a vast majority of ALL drivers out there do. 95% of ALL drivers Tailgate dangerously so, also never hardly ever follow at a safe distance. Its a shame the Gov. has to force drivers to operate their vehicles in a safe manner, because the vast majority has proven to be a danger by operating in a reckless manner. I support the Crash Avoidance System and I’m with the ATA! They got this one right!! If majority of CMV operators drove responsibly and respectfully of others maybe this wouldn’t be an issue, currently vast majority of CMV operators “95%” are recklessly endangering the general motoring public because they are irresponsible, disrespectful in the way they operate. This country is also low on BLINKER FLUID as well!! We need to be illustrating by our performance a GOOD example to follow, not a bad one. The “Big Bully” attitude behind the wheel is just overwhelming out here, letting there attitude and poor behavior skills show by using there vehicle as a weapon by waving there truck deliberately so as they go by a driver just for trying to be safe. Trying to drive safe n legal is getting harder because there are 95% of other drivers aren’t , now safe drivers become the hazard due to all the outlaw drivers. Crash Avoidance System can only help improve safety by forcing drivers to drive like they should of been in the first place. All those that have a problem with it, are the ones not driving Safely in the first place!
I can see it locking me up on an icy road because a deer jumps out. The ATA gonna pay my doctor bill?
Many have chided me over the years for claiming the ATA and Bill Graves are just a Fascist organization that uses government as a means to an end. Totally as Un-American as one can get short of being a Jihadist. Yet we have further examples of ATA trying to dictate peoples lives and trying to sway government to mandate something more. Of course, they do it all in the name of “its for the children” type of dribble. They do this, then they support some Wreaths Across America thing where they try and claim how they honor the veterans.. The veterans who fought against ideologies that would threaten America, very similar ideologies that the ATA is about. Well, Bill and the ATA. From a Viet Vet who served 7 years…. take your Wreaths and shove ’em. Don’t lay that crap on my headstone when I die. It would be equivalent to you just taking a leak on my grave.
AMEN
Mine worked with cruise control. When I saw some one getting ready to exit in front of me I would just turn the cruise off and never lose any speed. It has hit my brakes for me in the past but normally because someone cut me off to catch an exit and they would slow down before I could hit my cruise off. I used it up North in snow and ice for two winters and got to like it. At first, I hated it, but then I got use to it. It’s pretty cool after you get use to it.
Are these law makers dense? I’m no longer behind the wheel but in the 5 years I was I quickly lost count of the number of times cars cut me off. As soon as they do with these auto braking systems the trucks are going to lock up. If this happens on a slippery road the consciousness can and will be disastrous. And as usual who will be blamed? The car, the breaking system that took control from the driver or the driver? Smart money is on the trucker. Which is going to result in more restrictions on the industry. How much more can we restrict truckers before our country gets screwed?
Can we just finally disband,this piece of crap organization? They do not help,everytime I read anything about them they are just hurting everyone(or at least trying too!)
Got that right ATA is a lobby group for a few masters they represent in Washington DC. Their masters are Mega trucking companies, insurance companies, manufacturers who benefits from all this stupid technology added to the trucks
Sounds like more B.S. to me. If you can’t pay attention when your driving, then you shouldn’t even be on the road…!! Technology in vehicles is ok, but i think more for the maintenance side of things. No taking driving out of the drivers hands..!
Anything to increase the cost of vehicles.
Wonder if Graves wants the government to take away HIS ability to act and decide for himself? What a total moron
Heck no! When they get them improved maybe. But as it is those dumb systems catch bridges, signs, just about anything and throws us through the windshield
Had the brakes apply as I was turning off a major highway once. Damn good thing it was absolutely clear in the oncoming direction. Being t-boned with 12,000 gallons of fuel on board would have been really ugly. Absolutely useless and dangerous technology, imho.
until they enforce traffic laws,no one is safe
Absolutely not! As several have already said, what about the drivers that cut you off suddenly to make an exit? Or what if it malfunctions? And what happens when any of that happens when the roads are snow covered or iced. Then what happens when you are hauling high-value and some hijacker hacks your trucks computer and starts applying the brakes in an isolated area while using cellphone jammers? They already have the ability to hack your car, just google it.
Bill Graves, you need to get your head out from between your butt cheeks. I was in an International that had collision avoidance in it, and it made matters worse rather than better. It ended up locking up the brakes on a wet surface and the trailer started coming around. Then you will also get the jackasses that when they learn that it will slow you down, they will come around you fast and then check up in front of you. (Just to get their rocks off). Not so bad if you are on the flat or on a down grade, but we already have problems topping out on a grade 4, 5, or 6 hill. Have you ever even driven a truck professionally, for more than 8 years, I think NOT!!! Aren’t you one of the IDIOTS that is also supporting the increased MAX weight of 97,000 lbs.
Footnote for everybody: ATA represents the BIG trucking Companies that want to push us little guys out of business.
Got that right ATA is a lobby group for the some special interests in trucking industry.i.e mega trucking companies, insurance companies, manufacturers of all this crazy stupid technologies added on trucks just to name afew.
In the mid 1980’s they started talking about this new license called a CDL. Every driver needed to have this new,federally mandated license that was the same in every state . Well, truck drivers had the chance to chat with their congressman and show their dis-approval of the license or approval of it. A good portion of drivers said it would never happen so we won’t even have to contact or representative . Now look around , we all have one and it really hasn’t changed a thing. So, no matter what we say or do it isn’t going to change a thing unless we all stick together and say NO but thanks anyway.
And I want a toilet seat made of solid gold in my truck, but it’s just not in the cards, is it?
Automatic braking systems should only be operable when cruise control is on. That’s where the accidents are usually from, not many drivers will fall asleep while on the pedal.
A lot of good it did Wal-Mart, that truck had a automatic braking system according to news reports and they failed, you can put all the gadgets you want on a vehicle but if they don’t work properly then you’ll wish they had a better training program.
Wow, more great ideas from the ‘think tank’ at the ATA….it appears that not one of them actually drive a truck. Just what we need is more electronic sensors which FAIL from moisture and vibration, that will send truckers into repair shops for MORE downtime. It’s hard enough to make ends meet now, with the exhaust emission equipment failures, and all the other electronics we have on board. I agree the ATA should help focus on getting the trucking rates UP, and keeping the useless gadgets off the trucks, letting the professional driver do his or her job.
Wooow! When I read all these comments against the ACAT it is clear to me drivers lack full training with the system. Just like ABS first debut; people b@#$% and cried. Now they demand it. I have a EBS on my VOLVO, and I wouldn’t go without it. What I don’t like is being cut off by so called professional drivers cutting off my view, speed, and distance between the vehicles. Bring on the tech. What we need are well paid ACTUAL CERTIFIED LARGE COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE trainers, and not just some self proclaimed arrogant “good” company driver.
I would not drive one out of the yard. I remember when antilock brakes were the greatest thing and were put on trucks the first time. That did not turn out very well for just about everyone. I suspect this will only benefit those who never have anything to do with trucking directly..
I currently drive a truck with automatic brakes (collision avoidance system). I DO LOVE IT. I’ve been driving trucks for over 16 years, so I did come to the industry before all this technology.
Now at first I hated it and even disabled the system before each route. But now I wish I have it in my cars too. Its like an extra set of eyes watching your space in front of you and react if you get your attention off the road for a split second.
Now about all this accidents that were mentioned before. In my truck the system controls the brakes only when I am on a cruise. If you afraid for it go off on a ramp or snow/ice/rain – you should not be using a cruise in those situations so the truck won’t brake by itself. If someone cuts off in front of you, to get off to an exit ramp, – all you have to do is step on throttle – so the truck won’t brake – just beeps(I guess that comes with experience). When you are not on cruise all you get is beeps when following too close.