Truck.Net

Company Plans to Spec Bendix® ESP® on All New Commercial Vehicles Purchased

ELYRIA, Ohio – Nov. 6, 2008 – A leading ready-mix concrete and aggregate company announced today that the Bendix® ABS-6 with ESP® Electronic Stability Program is improving the company’s overall safety while positively impacting its bottom line.

Lattimore Materials Company, a privately owned company based in McKinney, Texas, with a total of 600 mixers and haul trucks in its fleet, added Bendix ESP technology to 70 Peterbilt mixers about a year ago. The Bendix ESP system has performed impeccably since then, according to Richard Szecsy, Lattimore vice president.

“The full-stability technology has worked flawlessly, so much so that we plan to spec it on all trucks ordered in the future,” Szecsy said. “Our drivers are very skilled, and we could have relied on their professionalism to ensure their safety and the safety of others on the road. But that doesn’t cover other drivers who share the roadway, and you simply cannot beat physics. Our drivers can take evasive action to avoid a rollover, but they can’t beat a rotating mass that is a 60,000-pound vehicle.”

The Bendix ESP system is the first widely available full-stability solution for the commercial vehicle market. Full-stability technology, also referred to as electronic stability program/electronic stability control (ESP/ESC), is more comprehensive than roll-only stability. Unlike roll-only systems, full-stability systems – such as Bendix ESP – address both roll and directional stability. While roll-only options typically focus on rollover mitigation on dry surfaces, full-stability systems provide additional sensors and braking capabilities that can deliver earlier recognition and quicker intervention to help prevent rollover and loss-of-control situations that can result in rollovers on dry, wet, snowy, and ice-covered road surfaces.

“We pride ourselves on being one of the most safety-conscious companies in the industry,” Szecsy said. “Part of that includes taking a leadership role and being a good corporate citizen. To be profitable, you need to be safe. We’ve accomplished that goal by adding the Bendix ESP system to our vehicles.”

U.S. government studies report that accidents involving injury can cost an average of more than $200,000 per event, while the cost of fatalities can average more than $3 million per incident. A recent study conducted by AAA estimated the annual costs of all crashes as amounting to $164.2 billion. In a study Cambridge Systematics conducted to measure the toll caused by congestion resulting from these accidents, investigators found that the additional cost – which can include lost productivity and quality of life – can be as great as $67.6 billion annually.

“We are pleased to partner with Lattimore to help them accomplish their safety goals,” said Fred Andersky, Bendix director of marketing. “Bendix ESP full-stability technology can have a dramatic impact on accidents, decreasing both the direct and societal costs of heavy-truck accidents. And full stability is the only stability technology suited for vocational vehicles such as cement mixers.”

Earlier this year, Bendix released a comprehensive white paper titled “Road Map for the Future: Making the Case for Full-Stability” presenting information and data about both types of stability systems, roll-only systems, known as roll stability control/program (RSC/RSP), and full-stability technology. The paper represents extensive research into the performance, capabilities, and limitations of roll-only and full-stability systems. It also clarifies the substantial differences in the technological approaches of the two stability options. To request a copy of the Bendix white paper, visit www.bendix.com and click on the stability technology white paper icon.

 
About Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, a member of the Knorr-Bremse Group, develops and supplies leading-edge active safety technologies, air brake charging, and control systems and components under the Bendix® brand name for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, tractors, trailers, buses, and other commercial vehicles throughout North America. An industry pioneer, employing more than 2,200 people, we are driven to deliver solutions for improved vehicle performance, safety, and overall operating cost. Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems is headquartered in Elyria, Ohio, with manufacturing plants in Acuña, Mexico; Bowling Green, Ky.; and Huntington, Ind. For more information, call 1-800-AIR-BRAKE (1-800-247-2725) or visit www.bendix.com.

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