At CES 2024 (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas in January, HDT ran across a game-changer safety technology.

There, we saw a company called Emergency Safety Solutions, or ESS, which was bringing hazard lights into the modern era. 

The company’s H.E.L.P. DeliverSafe digital lighting and alert system is a smart, and comprehensive safety system that brings full telematics and modern communication technology to vehicle emergency management systems.

Autonomous Safety Management

Now, Plus, a leading developer of autonomous driving software solutions has announced a strategic partnership to integrate H.E.L.P. Alerts from ESS with Plus’s Level 4 autonomous trucking solution, SuperDrive.

This collaboration is a part of Plus’s mission to ensure its self-driving technology is ready for safe and efficient driverless trucking operations, the company said.

Plus will incorporate ESS’s hardware into the SuperDrive autonomous driving fleet, enhancing safety protocols in the event a truck is inoperable due to a system or base vehicle issue.

“H.E.L.P. Alerts will contribute to our comprehensive incident management capabilities by expanding our sensor architecture and enhancing communications with road users and emergency services,” said David Liu, CEO and co-founder at Plus. “This enhancement supports our progress toward completing our safety case, now at 75%, and achieving readiness for commercial driver-out operations soon. Autonomous trucks must excel in normal driving conditions and be prepared for the unexpected. This collaboration underscores Plus’s unwavering commitment to safety as the top priority across every level of our autonomous trucking technology and operations.”

Stephen Powers, COO and co-Founder of ESS, added, “By combining H.E.L.P. advance warning communications with Plus’s industry-leading AI-based autonomous driving technology, we are advancing safety for autonomous trucks and improving road safety for everyone. It is exciting to be part of the transformative change that autonomous trucks will bring to our economy and society.”

An Extra Layer of Warning

H.E.L.P. Alerts introduce a distinctive emergency warning feature, known as H.E.L.P. Lighting Alerts, which activates high-frequency flashing of the truck’s and trailer’s lamps in emergency situations. This feature alerts nearby vehicles and drivers to the presence of a disabled autonomous truck and any potential hazards.

Additionally, H.E.L.P. Digital Alerts add an extra layer of advanced warning by broadcasting the real-time location of a stopped SuperDrive autonomous truck. These alerts are delivered through navigation apps and in-dash notifications, providing oncoming drivers with timely warnings to slow down and safely navigate around the disabled vehicle.