Meritor Wabco Vehicle Control Systems' new SmartTrac is a suite of antilock braking, automatic traction control, and stability control systems for commercial vehicles
, with multi-function electronic control units.

The new lineup incorporates the company's active safety systems technologies, including electronic stability control, roll stability control, RSSplus, monitoring and telematics and improved diagnostics and event recording.

"SmartTrac fits perfectly with our Pyramid of Safety concept," said Jon Morrison, president and general manager of Meritor Wabco. "It provides a broad base for controlling braking and stability control technologies now and in the future."

Meritor Wabco's electronic stability control technology is a combination of roll stability control with yaw or rotational control. Not only does the technology help prevent vehicle instability, it can also reduce tractor-trailer speed if loss of control is detected. This is done through engine control and application of the engine brake, tractor and trailer foundation brakes.

Roll stability control monitors conditions that can lead to a rollover. If a rollover is detected, the system automatically dethrottles the engine and applies the engine brake, and drive and trailer axle foundation brakes to get the truck's speed down.

RSSplus is an advanced two-modulator stability system that integrates with the trailer's antilock braking system. It continually calculates the trailer's roll stability threshold based on lateral acceleration (side-to-side movements) and individual wheel speeds. When conditions indicate that a rollover may occur, the system will apply the trailer axle brakes to slow the vehicle and assist the driver in maintaining control of the vehicle.

SmartTrac products will also include monitoring and telematics so that fleet managers can correlate stability control and braking events with time and location data. The product line can also capture data about braking and stability events by recording this information for use in identifying trends and building more effective driver training programs.

More info: www.wabco-auto.com.