The paint is hardly dry on the new trucks, but Volvo continues to push the technology envelope with its new VNL and VNR tractor models. Bendix has announced that for the first time in North America, the camera- and radar-based collision mitigation technology of its Wingman Fusion vehicle safety system is now standard equipment on these heavy-duty trucks. Both the VNR and VNL series feature Volvo Active Driver Assist, which the company said integrates Fusion to create a comprehensive, leading-edge system.

Introduced in fall 2016, Volvo Active Driver Assist uses Bendix’s flagship collision mitigation technology, integrating radar, camera, and the vehicle’s brake system into a driver assistance system that delivers driver alerts and interventions to help them mitigate rear-end collisions, rollovers, and loss-of-control situations.

Unlike systems that only use radar, Volvo said its Active Driver Assist creates a highly detailed and accurate data picture using deep, multisystem integration of the input gathered through radar, video, and the vehicle’s brakes working together. The system’s camera is powered by the Mobileye System-on-Chip EyeQ processor with state-of-the-art vision algorithms.

Volvo engineers said these technologies – working together and not just in parallel – along with powerful next-generation computing, create a system that typically assesses situations faster and reacts earlier, while also significantly reducing false alerts and false interventions.

Volvo Active Driver Assist offers as standard alert prioritization, enhanced collision mitigation, stationary vehicle braking, and an optional integrated lane departure warning system with data capture capability. Other options include blind spot detection.

While not integrated into the Volvo Active Driver Assist system, the blind spot technology offers an additional feature to help drivers detect vehicles that may not be visible in their mirrors. And because it is built on the Volvo Enhanced Stability Technology by Bendix full-stability system, Volvo Active Driver Assist also helps drivers avoid additional crash situations, including rollovers and loss-of-control.

Volvo Active Driver Assist is fully integrated into the Volvo Driver Information Display located on the dashboard, and includes an industry-first heads-up windshield display if a driver approaches too closely to an object in front of them.

“When the Bendix and Volvo teams work together, there’s one overriding goal in mind: making North America’s trucks and highways safer for everybody,” said Scott Burkhart, Bendix vice president – sales, marketing, and business development. “For years, we’ve been proud to call Volvo a true partner in providing the most advanced safety technologies to fleets and drivers, and it’s more evident than ever in the continued development and implementation of Volvo Active Driver Assist. There is no doubt in our minds that fleets, drivers, and our shared roads will benefit from Volvo’s newest and most advanced trucks becoming the first to include Wingman Fusion’s technology as standard.”

“Safety has always been part of the essence of Volvo Trucks, and it has been one of our core values since 1927,” said Göran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “Making Volvo Active Driver Assist with Bendix Wingman Fusion™ standard in Volvo VNR and VNL models demonstrates our commitment to improving the safety of everyone who travels on our roads.”

Related Video: How Bendix Wingman Fusion Works