Autocar has become the first automaker to build refuse trucks featuring advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) technology, the company announced Oct. 8.
“As part of Autocar’s efforts to address various safety challenges, we built a custom test chassis, which included the ADAS technology,” James Johnston, president of Autocar Trucks, said in a statement.
To ensure consistent performance, the company noted it rigorously tested its modified Badass waste collection vehicles in a variety of road, traffic, and weather conditions, including Michigan’s harsh winter conditions, to confirm the ADAS system could handle the heavy-duty environment of the refuse industry.
Solid waste collection is the fifth deadliest job in America, with 5,250 fatal work injuries in the United States in 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Autocar noted that its ADAS technology can help reduce up to 87% of rear end collisions and helps improve accident-related uptime to 19%.
Autocar noted its new trucks are equipped with the following features:
* Advanced emergency braking, which detects an impending collision and actively engages emergency brakes.
* Forward collision warning, which visibly and audibly warns an operator of an impending collision.
* Stationary merge assistant, which visibly and audibly warns an operator of a stationary object in a blind spot.
* Blind spot detection, which visibly and audibly warns an operator of a moving vehicle in a blind spot.
* Electronic stability controls, which actively intervene when the vehicle is understeering or oversteering in order to maintain vehicle stability.
* Rollover stability controls, which intervene when the vehicle is at risk for an operator-induced rollover event.
Longwood, Florida-based WastePro was the first garbage hauler to purchase these new trucks.
“Investing in vehicles with advanced safety features, like Autocar’s trucks equipped with ADAS, is so important for Waste Pro,” WastePro safety director Romeo Vellutini said in a statement. “Not only do these kinds of trucks protect our staff, the public and our customers, they also are critical in investing in our employees and promoting from within so we have the best of the best behind the wheel of our customer service vehicles.”
