DTNA chooses Bendix SafetyDirect

Safety Direct Final 300x152Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) has selected Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems (CVS) SafetyDirect as an option in its Detroit Assurance 5.0 suite of camera- and radar-based safety systems.

The company announced the suite as it introduced the first SAE Level 2 automated truck in series production in North America with the latest enhancements to the Freightliner new Cascadia. Level 2 automation means the truck is capable of both lateral (steering) and longitudinal (acceleration/deceleration) control.

SafetyDirect is the video-based driver safety platform from Bendix CVS, featuring a web portal that provides fleet operators with feedback on their fleet and drivers, along with videos of severe events, Bendix says.

The fifth-generation platform powers the integration with Detroit Assurance 5.0, enabling the wireless transmission of high-resolution video to the SafetyDirect web portal for fleet operators to analyze. Video is generated by DTNA’s front-facing camera, which comes standard with Detroit Assurance 5.0; an optional driver-facing camera also is available. Fleets can select SafetyDirect with either configuration. Both cameras continuously record high-resolution video and will capture severe events, the company says.

Transmission to the SafetyDirect web portal is via the Detroit Connect suite of connected vehicle services provided by DTNA. SafetyDirect is integrated with Detroit Connect, allowing the system to be activated upon truck delivery. Fleets can order now, with production starting later in 2019.

“Fleets are becoming increasingly aware of the power of data and the tremendous value it can bring to their safety efforts,” says TJ Thomas, Bendix director of marketing and customer solutions – Controls. “SafetyDirect captures this wealth of data generated by today’s advanced safety systems — including high-resolution video footage, for which there is no substitute when examining a severe event — and serves it up for fleets to use as needed.”

Kelly Gedert, director of product marketing, Freightliner and Detroit, says, “The enhancements we’ve made to Detroit Assurance have the potential to make an immediate, measurable and positive impact on overall North American road safety.”

Throughout 2019, Bendix expects to roll out the SafetyDirect processor platform’s new features and advanced functionality, including a mobile app, as part of a phased introduction. SafetyDirect also is available today within the Bendix Retrofit Upgrade Program.

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