Arkansas-based Maverick Transportation is installing Eaton VORAD EVT-300 Collision Warning Systems in its entire fleet of more than 750 tractors.

The flatbed carrier believes the VORAD units can significantly reduce the frequency and severity of accidents by giving drivers extra warning of vehicles and objects ahead and to the side.
"We tested VORAD for roughly eight months and have received a good amount of positive feedback from drivers," says Dean Newell, Maverick's vice president of safety. "The drivers particularly like the side sensors, which give them some extra eyes in their right-side blind-spots. We had a few situations where drivers had not noticed that a car had slipped alongside and was sitting just below the bunk in a blind-spot. If it hadn't have been for the VORAD unit, they would not have known the car was there."
Maverick began installing the VORAD systems in its existing trucks in January and expects to have its entire fleet retrofitted by the end of the year. It is also installing VORAD with all new trucks orders.
“If we can reduce our accident costs by 20 percent, it will pay for itself," Newell says of the system. "Most fleets that have installed VORAD are getting better than that."
Newell says it will take at least a year to measure the impact of the new systems. As well as reducing the cost of accidents, he also foresees lower insurance costs. "We won't see reductions in insurance premiums right away because premiums are based on history," he said. "But the premiums will go down if we can show a reduction in accidents in the coming year."
Maverick Transportation is a privately held logistics and transportation company headquartered in Little Rock, Ark. It provides flatbed services in 48 states and has a major presence in the Midwest, transporting primarily steel and building materials.
The Eaton VORAD EVT-300 Collision Warning System, a part of the Roadranger System of drivetrain components, includes both forward and side radar sensors operating at 24.725 GHz to detect objects and vehicles. In-cab display units with a series of warning lights and audible tones are used to warn the driver of the presence of these objects and vehicles and give the driver added time to take any necessary action.