Oakley Transport Inc is equipping more than 300 new Volvo tractors with Bendix Wingman Advanced collision mitigation Technology. The foodgrade tank truck carrier also is equipping these tractors with the Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program full-stability system, as well as the Bendix BlindSpotter Side Object Detection System.
Approximately 250 of the tractors are already on the road, with the balance expected by year’s end. Volvo markets Bendix Wingman Advanced as Volvo Enhanced Cruise (VEC) and Bendix ESP as Volvo Enhanced Stability Technology (VEST).
Founded in 1961 and based in Lake Wales FL, Oakley Transport is a national leader in liquid bulk foodgrade transportation. The carrier counts 500 tractors and 770 trailers in its fleet, which serves the United States, Canada, and Mexico from seven locations throughout the United States.
“Oakley Transport places a premium on safety,” said Peter Nativo, Oakley’s maintenance director. “Safety is the most important of the four service standards that guide our company, and it’s ingrained in everyone here. The Bendix technologies are another integral part of our safety offerings. And they’ve already proven to be a wise investment.”
According to Nativo, the 250 trucks equipped with Wingman Advanced have been in only one rear-end collision since late 2013, when Oakley’s first trucks with the system joined the fleet. In that same time period, 250 Oakley trucks without the system recorded eight rear-end collisions.
“In one example of how well Wingman Advanced works, the system helped one of our drivers avoid running into a set of tandems that were sitting on the highway in a low-light situation,” he said. “Before our driver saw the wheels ahead, the system detected the hazard and gave the driver a three-second visual and audible stationary object warning, allowing him to take evasive action. Our drivers are highly skilled, and this technology helps them to be even safer.”