DOT Doles Out $13 Million To Test Truck Safety Systems
The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $12.7 million in grants to help fund operational testing of high-tech truck safety systems
The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $12.7 million in grants to help fund operational testing of high-tech truck safety systems.
The four Intelligent Vehicle Initiative grants will be combined with $7.7 million from partners to pay for testing of advanced safety systems addressing large truck rollover, rear-end collisions, roadway departure collisions, advanced braking and hazard warning.
Freightliner Corp. will lead a partnership to test a "Rollover Stability Advisor" to address large truck rollovers. The tests will be conducted in the Midwest and also include Praxair, a hazardous materials fleet and trailer manufacturer; Roaduser International; and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
Volvo Trucks North America will lead a partnership to test trucks equipped with a collision warning system and an advanced braking system. The tests will be conducted throughout the U.S. and also include truckload fleet U.S. Xpress and North Carolina A&T University.
Mack Trucks will test an infrastructure-assisted hazard warning system for commercial vehicles. The tests will be conducted in the southeastern United States and also include McKenzie Tank Lines and the Virginia Department of Transportation.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation will lead a partnership to test a fleet of snowplows equipped with collision warning and lateral guidance. Others in this partnership include Altra Technology, Navistar International, the University of Minnesota and 3M.
The Intelligent Vehicle Initiative is part of the DOT's Intelligent Transportation Systems program, authorized in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).
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