Today’s Latest Braking Systems Keeping Our Truckies Safe

If you happen to be a Trucking and Transport fleet manager there’s no doubt you’ve heard of the safety system technology recently released by industry leader, Knorr-Bremse. For those who haven’t heard, put simply, their Bendix Wingman Fusion systems are revolutionising safety in the trucking and transport industry.

An Innovative Combination

It works through an innovative fusion of camera, braking, and sensor technology, providing operators with accurate road safety readings sourced through multiple input channels.

We spoke with Joseph Stapleton, Sales & Marketing Manager for Knorr-Bremse Australia, at the 2017 Brisbane Truck Show to get all the latest on how this technology is impacting the Australian industry.

“The technology has been locally designed to work in Australian Market. [One of its best features], the lane departure warning, will actively slow down the truck if over speeding in relation to surrounding traffic. The Fusion technology makes this a very safe system.”

Like Having A Buddy On Board to keep you safe

The Bendix Wingman Fusion is just that, a wingman for truck drivers, not a replacement. The system has been designed to ensure drivers are always in complete control and will never forcibly bring the vehicle to a halt or off course. Instead, it helps to warn and assist drivers in avoiding crashes, rollovers, over-speeding and reduce operator fatigue.

“[Drivers] are the most important safety system in any vehicle and are always responsible for the control and safe operation of the vehicle. Safety systems do not replace the need for alert, safe and skilled drivers.”

This focus on assisting operators has proven to work in real life situations and has been so popular that the Knorr-Bremse group has recently integrated the technology with top tier trucking brands, such as Volvo, Mack and Kenworth.

An Extra Pair of “Eyes” on the Road

Getting into more specifics, the Bendix Wingman Fusion is controlled through a radar placed at the front of the truck. It’s the next generation of radar technology and works in reading the road ahead (up to 500m), detecting any moving or stationary metal objects in the same lane of travel.

As for the integrated camera system, this is located in the upper center of the dashboard. It combines information from the radar to help the system give accurate alerts and correlates to avoid any false readings.

Plus enhanced-control braking

The third main aspect of the Bendix Wingman Fusion, is its award-winning braking system; is the Bendix ESP Full Stability system. The ESP system, is one of the main pillars of safety in Bendix’s Fusion technology, working in assisting the vehicle to slow down safely and avoid rollover or loss of control situations.

The company behind it all

Founded in 1905, the Knorr-Bremse group have been providing the transport industry with quality parts for well over 100 years now. They’ve specialised in everything from air, drum and disk brakes to—more recently—electronics and diagnostic systems. Originally beginning in Munich, Germany, the group first started in providing air braking systems for rail lines.

Now, Knorr-Bremse is a global market leader for braking systems across the transport industry and, in their 30 years of operation, the group has grown from a small enterprise to a global corporate group; generating well over 5 billion Euros in annual sales for the last 3 years running. Industry figures often credit this success to Knorr-Bremse’s sheer power of innovation.

Another great implementation from the group came last year in the introduction of TruckServices. To ensure their products are not exclusive to the big-name brands, Knorr-Bremse has expanded their reach to cater for all commercial road vehicles. The move aims to assist operators in getting the most out of their trucks, trailers or vans. Offering workshops, diagnostics, maintenance, and repair services for any fleet operation.

Overall, it’s easy to see why Knorr-Bremse is considered an industry leader and innovator in the trucking and transport industry; working diligently in providing the best in engineering and technology to keep our truckies safe.