Kenworth’s 2006 Class 8 models have a new speedometer and tachometer cluster with large, 2-inch-diameter gauges and LED backlighting in the faceplate and pointers – features that improve visibility of the gauges and warning lights. Kenworth also improved its turn signal switch on 2006 models to include an intermittent windshield wiper control feature.
Multitasking is a valued skill in many professions – but truck driving isn’t one of them. At 60 mph, simple tasks such as eating, tuning a radio or talking on a cell phone can become dangerous liabilities: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that distracted drivers are a factor in 25 to 50 percent of all vehicle crashes.
Today, drivers are inundated with technology that adds convenience and improves productivity. But these benefits decrease in proportion to the distractions the technology can cause. A ringing cell phone usually causes a driver to take his eyes and attention from the road and a hand from the wheel. And even systems designed to improve safety, when taken together, may add to driver distractions.
Logex Inc. – a 435-truck carrier that hauls industrial gases nationwide – uses several warning systems to help drivers avoid crashes. For example, Logex drivers hear a “rumble strip” sound if they start to deviate from between lane markings without using a turn signal. Another beep sounds if the vehicle is dangerously close to other objects in relation to the vehicle’s speed. A different beep sounds if their truck is in danger of a rollover. Drivers also see a light when objects are in the passenger-side blind spot.
“Certainly in today’s environment, there are technologies that are really needed,” says Tom Rule, vice president of operations for Orange, Calif.-based Logex. “But a guy can be confused by the different sounds and lights.”
Truck manufacturers and OEMs continue to develop tools that help drivers eliminate distractions while operating a vehicle. But a perfect solution is elusive. As technology allows truck makers to provide more information to drivers, still more alerts may be needed to help drivers prioritize that information.
Meet today’s panel
In recent years, truck manufacturers have produced many new features to minimize driver distractions. Each OEM’s information systems and controls have their own unique features, but a common denominator is that drivers are able to determine a vehicle is operating in an unsafe state without having to take their eyes off the road or hands from the wheel.
