Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC continues advancing its commitment to North American commercial fleet safety through its industry-leading development and manufacture of active safety and braking system technologies. Prime Inc. is supporting its commitment to safety by adding Bendix ADB22X air disc brakes and the Bendix TABS-6 Advanced trailer roll stability system to its highway safety efforts.
The leading fleet is equipping 2,500 new refrigerated trailers with the Bendix ADB22X and Bendix TABS-6 Advanced safety technologies. Delivery is taking place over the next nine months. The trailers are manufactured by Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company.
Prime Inc. is one of North America’s most successful refrigerated, flatbed and tanker trucking companies. Founded in 1970 and based in Springfield, MS, Prime services an expanding international customer base.
Prime specs other Bendix safety products as well, including the Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program full-stability system and Bendix Wingman Advanced – A Collision Mitigation Technology, on its Peterbilt, Kenworth, and International Class 8 tractors. In addition, Prime provides AutoVue Lane Departure Warning (LDW) System from Bendix CVS on all its tractors, which number more than 5,000.
“Our commitment to safety – one of Prime’s core principles – was a key factor in our choice of Bendix technologies,” says Paul Higgins, Director of Maintenance for Prime Inc. “Bendix shares that corporate philosophy, and we’re pleased to count them as a valued partner in the critical work of helping to make our fleet and the highways safer.”
The patented Bendix ADB22X air disc brake is a lightweight design that significantly reduces stopping distance and offers significantly longer life and faster service times than drum brakes. Other advantages include a car-like feel; straight, stable stops; and virtually no brake fade or degradation of stopping power.
Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC (BSFB), a joint venture between Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC and Dana Commercial Vehicle Products, LLC, manufactures the Bendix ADB22X at its wheel-end production facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky. BSFB has manufactured more than 750,000 Bendix ADB22X air disc brakes since it began production in 2005.
The Bendix TABS-6 Advanced trailer roll stability system combines antilock braking (ABS) with a set of trailer sensors, which monitor stability and can quickly and automatically trigger braking interventions when conditions that may lead to a rollover are detected.
Available in single-channel (SC) and multi-channel (MC) configurations, TABS-6 Advanced is compatible with both spring-ride and air-ride suspensions, and delivers solutions suitable for a wide range of fleet needs. The Bendix TABS-6 Advanced system can work with a variety of trailer electrical requirements, handling between 8 and 32V without a separate power converter. Bendix has supplied more than 375,000 trailer ABS and roll stability systems to the market.
“Prime has long been committed to providing safe vehicles for its drivers, and Bendix is proud to be part of that effort,” says Scott Burkhart, Bendix Vice President – Sales, Marketing, and Business Development.
Burkhart emphasizes that Bendix safety technologies are designed to supplement safe driving practices and are not intended to enable or encourage aggressive driving. Responsibility for the safe operation of the vehicle remains with the driver at all times.
“No commercial vehicle safety technology replaces the most important safety components of all: skilled, alert professional drivers exercising safe driving habits, as well as continuous, comprehensive driver training,” Burkhart says.
Bendix’s efforts to promote safe commercial vehicle operation, along with its ever-growing portfolio of technology developments, help it deliver in areas critical to fleets’ success: safety, product performance, value, and post-sales support. Bendix aims to help fleets and drivers lower total cost of vehicle ownership and strengthen return on investment in equipment, technology, and training, which leads to safer highways for everyone on the road.
