NSC, NTSB To Hold Discussion For Safety-Related Technology In Trucks

by Jake Tully - Published: 7/20/2017

Earlier this week the National Transportation Safety Board in conjunction with the National Safety Council will host a round table discussion of the use technology in commercial trucks on Monday, July 24 at the Renaissance Schaumberg Convention Center Hotel in Schaumberg, Illinois.

In continuing discussions regarding safe practices in the trucking industry, the two safety-related associations will reportedly discuss the benefits that technology can provide to safety as well as the barriers technology may present to safe driving practices.

The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that close to two-dozen attendees will be present at the discussion next Monday including professionals in the trucking industry, government officials, safety advocates and those who research safety in order to explore ideas in which trucking fleets can increase their usage of driver assistance systems.

The upcoming round table discussion will consist of four parts including an overview of advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) technologies, moving on to training drivers with technologies, followed by adoption of technology versus government regulation, wrapping up the discussion with potential challenges that implementation of ADAS systems may pose.

The NSC reports that the discussion coincides with a period in the country where fatalities related to motor vehicles have increased, with an estimated 40,000 deaths due to crashes in 2016. For 2015 the Federal Motor Carrier Association reported that more than 4,300 heavy-duty commercial vehicles saw involvement with fatal crashes.

According to the NSC, technologies currently in place such as warnings for forward collision, automatic braking for emergencies and detection of blind-spots have the potential to diminish or avert crashes involving heavy-duty commercial vehicles.

The council also reports that the despite the existence and proliferation of these technologies, many independent drivers and trucking fleets still have not fully accepted the systems for integration into their equipment.

Among those expected to attend the conference are representatives from the American Trucking Associations, the Federal Motor Carrier Association, Schneider National and Volvo Trucks USA – North America.

The discussion is open to the public with limited seating, meanwhile a webcast will be streamed on the NTSB website.