Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC and Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC recently offered a demonstration of the newest innovations in advanced commercial vehicle active safety technologies to more than 70 agents from Sentry Insurance, continuing its efforts to educate the commercial vehicle industry about the value and importance of safety advances.
The Sept. 15 event took place at Stevens Point Municipal Airport, in Stevens Point, Wis., the headquarters of Sentry, one of the nation’s leading insurers for truck operations.
Bendix demonstrated how its innovations help improve highway safety by mitigating rollovers and loss of control, helping to prevent rear-end collisions, monitoring tire pressure and temperature, and reducing stopping distance.
Through ride-and-drive demonstrations, presentations by Bendix experts, and an in-hangar display showcasing the latest technologies, participants witnessed the effectiveness of the company’s innovative safety products: Bendix® ESP® Electronic Stability Program; Bendix® Wingman® ACB – Active Cruise with Braking; SmarTire™ by Bendix tire pressure monitoring system; and Bendix® air disc brakes.
In all, nearly 90 people attended the demonstration. The participating Sentry agents, members of the company’s Transportation Group whose focus is commercial vehicle insurance, traveled to the event from all over the United States. Joining them were Sentry’s in-house safety consultants, who received a special demonstration session on Sept. 14. Stevens Point Mayor Andrew Halverson participated as well, experiencing Bendix safety technologies from the seat of the demo truck cab. Bendix used a Volvo VN with a tanker trailer and a Mack granite cement mixer to conduct its closed-course stability demonstration, and a Volvo VT with a van trailer for its on-the-road Bendix Wingman ACB – Active Cruise with Braking demonstration.
“As one of the country’s leading insurance carriers specializing in truck insurance, we appreciate the value that advanced technologies can bring in helping fleets and owner-operators improve safety in their operations,” said Donald Olson, vice president – transportation for Sentry Insurance. “Our transportation agents and safety consultants now have firsthand experience with these technologies and can share the potential advantages with our customers.”
“Insurance carriers are an important voice for building awareness of the value and advantages of these technologies for fleets and owner-operators. We appreciate Sentry and their agents taking time out of their conference to learn more about the performance and benefits of these systems,” said Fred Andersky, Bendix director of marketing – Controls. “Fleets incorporating advanced safety technologies may improve safety performance and reduce accident-related costs, which could have an impact on insurance-related costs. It’s also critical for fleets to bear in mind that these technologies, as proactive and effective as they can be, don’t replace the need for good drivers, safe driving practices, and continuous, comprehensive driver training.”
