Safety is Good for Business: Freightliner Trucks Offer Active and Passive Safety Systems

How often do you think about safety? As the saying goes, “Safety is no accident.” That is especially true when you are talking about driving a semi-truck down the highway or operating a work truck on a job site.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the average cost of a crash involving medium or heavy trucks was $148,279. The average cost of a fatal accident involving a tractor trailer was more than $7.2 million. Safety is a critical concern for owner-operators and trucking company fleet managers. No one sets out on a route expecting to be involved in an accident, but focusing on safety and having a truck with the latest safety features can be a lifesaver.

Taking Safety Seriously

Accidents can cost companies significantly in repair bills, losses in uptime and increased insurance premiums. And when a semi-truck is involved in a highway accident or a vocational truck is involved in a job site mishap, it tends to make headlines, which can have an impact on the reputation of your business.

If you wonder what could happen after your truck is involved in an accident, just Google “accidents involving trucks” and see how many ads pop up for law firms offering their services to the people involved. It is a big business.

No doubt about it, safety plays an important role in the Real Cost of Ownership℠ for trucking companies. Freightliner trucks do more to integrate the driver, the truck and the business to maximize profitability. This includes focusing on safety. We want all drivers of our vehicles to benefit from advanced safety systems so they can enjoy millions of miles of accident-free driving and return home safely at the end of each run.

Built for Safety

Freightliner recognizes that driver alertness plays an important role in safety. That’s why the cabs in Freightliner on-highway and vocational trucks are ergonomically designed and offer comfort features aimed at increasing driver satisfaction. Trucking companies can add options such as the Bose Ride® seat suspension system to help prevent fatigue by keeping drivers comfortable and engaged. The Freightliner In-Cab Trainer (FIT) system and FIT Step in-cab cardio exercise system help drivers stay in shape on the road. This can alleviate chronic health conditions and contribute to safer driving by helping to boost energy and eliminate physical distractions.

Protection on the Open Road

Freightliner offers industry-leading active and passive safety systems such as the Detroit Assurance^® suite of safety systems, available in the Cascadia® and Cascadia Evolution, which offers active brake assist, adaptive cruise control, optional lane departure warning and optional Bendix side object detection. Freightliner Cascadia Evolution owners can also select the Meritor WABCO OnGuard™ system for collision mitigation as well as opt for Meritor OnLane™ or Bendix AutoVue® as their lane departure warning system.

Accident mitigation not only improves highway safety, it reduces repair costs, downtime and liability. From steering wheel airbags to the optional LifeGuard RollTek® seat designed to help protect drivers in rollover accidents, Freightliner is constantly looking for ways to improve safety.

Freightliner employs the most modern anti-lock braking systems and engine brakes, which allows vehicles to be slowed without application of the foundation brakes and is automatically deployed by stability and collision mitigation systems. Optional air disc brakes provide excellent performance and cooling on mountainous routes, while providing shorter stopping distances.

The Detroit^® Intelligent Powertrain Management (IPM) feature adjusts RPM, engine power and transmission gear based on the terrain and grades. This can help drivers stay in control as driving conditions shift during long runs.

When Hard Hats Aren’t Enough

On job sites, vocational trucks run in congested areas and under challenging conditions. Safety is paramount. That’s why Freightliner focuses on enhancing operator visibility. As an industry leader in the development of passive and active safety systems, Freightliner vocational trucks are equipped with numerous standard and optional safety features and ergonomically designed, noise-limiting cabs. Freightliner cabs are designed to keep operators comfortable during a long work day, helping reduce fatigue and improving overall safety and productivity. Plus, the optional SmartPlex® electrical system allows the addition of safety interlocks to help prevent injuries and equipment damage. For example, the boom-out-of-stow interlock prevents the vehicle from moving if the boom is not positioned for travel.

Freightliner Trucks takes safety seriously. Whether you haul freight across the country or make deliveries to job sites around town, safety is your most important job each day.