Safety data at their fingertips: Fleets running the Freightliner new Cascadia, equipped with the new Detroit Assurance 5.0 Suite of Safety Systems from Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), will have this option, courtesy of SafetyDirect by Bendix CVS. 
DTNA selected SafetyDirect as an option in its Detroit Assurance 5.0 suite of camera- and radar-based safety systems, which the truck maker unveiled in January. 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 Commercial Vehicle Systems, featuring a user-friendly web portal that provides fleet operators with comprehensive feedback on their fleet and drivers, along with videos of severe events. Bendix introduced the powerful new fifth generation of the processor platform at the American Trucking Associations’ 2019 Technology Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition in Atlanta.
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 is also available. Fleets can select SafetyDirect with either configuration. Both cameras continuously record high-resolution video and will capture severe events.
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. We’re proud to team with DTNA and make SafetyDirect – now more powerful than ever – available to customers of Detroit Assurance 5.0.”
“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,” says Kelly Gedert, Director of Product Marketing for Freightliner and Detroit. “Bendix’s newest generation of its proven SafetyDirect platform helped us to raise the bar with this safety suite.”
Throughout 2019, Bendix expects to roll out the SafetyDirect processor platform’s robust new features and advanced functionality – including a mobile app – as part of a phased introduction. SafetyDirect is also available today within the Bendix Retrofit Upgrade Program. Through SafetyDirect and Bendix’s entire product portfolio, the company is shaping tomorrow’s transportation, together with its OE and fleet partners.
No advanced driver assistance technology can replace the need for safe and alert drivers practicing safe driving habits. Bendix stresses the importance of comprehensive, proactive driver training, and providing fleets with actionable information and tools to support their safety efforts.
