Iteris, a provider of advanced technologies that help reduce traffic congestion and improve the safety of surface transportation systems, announced Wednesday, Sept. 26, that Melton Truck Lines will make Iteris’ Lane Departure Warning standard equipment on about 1,000 new trucks over the next three years.
“When it comes to highway safety and ensuring our customers’ goods arrive on time, we believe adding LDW to our trucks will further our continuing goal of improving highway safety,” says Bob Peterson, president of Melton, an air-ride flatbed carrier with international cross-border transactions. “Safety is a top priority for every well-managed trucking company, and we believe that our decision to install LDW will have a positive impact in reducing accidents.”
LDW is now part of the Melton standard truck specification, and the company plans to have about 1,000 additional new trucks outfitted over its 42-month trade cycle. LDW systems will be installed at Melton’s service center facility in Tulsa, Okla. Iteris says Melton becomes the fourth major flatbed carrier to install LDW as standard equipment on its trucks.
Based in Tulsa, Melton is one of the largest flatbed trucking companies in the nation, with terminals in Laredo, Dallas, and El Paso, Texas, as well as Birmingham, Ala. The decision by Melton to make Iteris’ LDW technology standard on its new trucks came after the company tested 60 units over the course of the last year. In addition to superior field test performance, Melton says it received positive feedback on the system from its drivers.
“We’re pleased to see another large flatbed carrier recognize the value of our LDW technology, and Iteris looks forward to working with Melton on future installations,” says Francis Memole, senior vice president of vehicle sensors for Santa Ana, Calif.-based Iteris. “Based on data Iteris is receiving from other fleet customers that are seeing significant decreases in lane departure-related accidents, we expect Melton will see a positive return on their investment in a short period of time.”
Iteris says its LDW system was the first of its kind to be deployed in the commercial truck and passenger car markets, and it still remains the only vision-based system in mass production in the United States, Europe and Asia. More than 35,000 LDW systems have been sold for commercial truck platforms in the United States and Europe, with an estimated two billion miles traveled per year.
In the United States, with the addition of Melton, there are currently 48 fleets specifying Iteris’ LDW system with a combined fleet size of 28,000 trucks, and another 78 fleets with about 154,000 trucks conducting field tests, according to the company.
