Buying a safer truck

As employers and fleet managers, you have a legal obligation to provide a safe working environment, including vehicles. This information from the Victorian Transport Industry Group explains safety features to look for when purchasing heavy vehicles.

Making the right decision when purchasing a truck can offer significant benefits, but depends on a number of important factors. The lifecycle cost includes direct costs such as purchase price, fuel, maintenance and tyres, but should be considered in tandem with indirect costs including image, maximum load and safety.

It is essential that the truck you want to buy is properly specified to suit the intended task. To ensure maximum benefit, both active and passive safety features should be considered.

Active safety

The optimum design and construction of a safe truck should incorporate features that prevent crashes before they happen. Crash prevention features are known as ‘active safety’.There are two key areas of active safety, but these features only deliver benefits when driven within the vehicle’s operational and environmental limitations.

Braking and stability features

Having an efficient braking system is the best protection you can have to reduce the risk of a crash.

1. Anti-lock braking system (ABS). ABS eliminates brake lock by controlling the braking pressure applied to individual tyres, allowing the driver to continue steering and avoid a crash. ABS is engaged when wheel lock is imminent due to hard braking. Each wheel’s brake cylinder is controlled via a modulator, by releasing and applying the brakes very quickly. In heavy vehicle combinations whereby a trailer is fitted with ABS, the risk of jackknifing during heavy braking is reduced. ABS can be integrated with skid control technology and a roll-back lock to control braking and traction functions of the entire truck and trailer unit.
2. Electronic braking system (EBS). EBS signals the brake system and speeds up the reaction time. Electronic sensors fitted to the footbrake register when the driver applies the brake and a signal is instantly sent to the EBS control unit, which determines braking pressure for each axle and wheel. Air or hydraulic pressure then applies the brakes at that wheel. Most systems include ABS and are designed to ensure that braking power is distributed efficiently between the wheels, depending on the axle load.
3. Electronic stability control (ESC). ESC builds on ABS and EBS to provide advanced braking and stability. This technology helps prevent jackknifes, rollovers and other loss-of-control crashes. It helps the driver maintain control by: correcting impending oversteering or understeering, stabilising the vehicle during sudden evasive manoeuvres, improving handling, improving traction and by providing balanced braking depending on the load. ECS uses sensors to measure steering angle and lateral acceleration, registering an impending skid or tilt, then selectively braking individual wheels and reducing engine torque to bring the vehicle back on course. It helps the driver control lateral movements, as well as longitudinal.

Driving assistance features

Driver fatigue and distractions pose a serious risk to drivers. Active safety features that increase the comfort and awareness levels for drivers will reduce the potential of a crash.

1. Adaptive cruise control (ACC) - selecting a safe distance. Standard cruise controls lock vehicle speed but ACC also optionally locks vehicle following distances. It uses a form of radar to determine the speed and distance of the vehicle ahead. ACC enables the driver to select both time and distance gap and maintains this by automatically controlling the throttle and brakes. It can be deactivated via a button press on the ACC control or depressing the brake pedal or clutch.
2. Lane assist - image processing. A digital camera behind the windscreen detects the vehicle’s position relative to left- or right-hand road or lane markings. If the vehicle touches or moves over these markings, a warning signal sounds, alerting the driver.
3. Good visibility - making the driver’s view of surrounding traffic as good as possible lowers risk. Ensure the cabin design has adequate visibility.
4. Comfortable climate - suitable ventilation and climate control make driving easier.
5. Comfortable driving - to minimise risk of misjudgement, ensure that instruments are legible, simple to understand and within easy reach. A comfortable seat in the correct driving position will help avoid the onset of tiredness and a good quality seat will also ease back problems.
6. Low noise level - noise and vibration affect both endurance and concentration, so adequate soundproofing and a well-balanced cab suspension are a must. The driver must still retain a sense of surrounding road conditions, so cabin design needs to be sensitive to noise levels while permitting the driver to hear and monitor both internal and external conditions.

Passive safety

When accidents do happen, the truck’s ‘passive safety’ features help protect the driver, passengers and other road users from the consequences.

1. Seatbelts. A seatbelt assists drivers to remain in their seat, maintaining better control in the event of a crash. If buying an older truck, most B-Pillar anchored seatbelts can be retrofitted with an integrated seatbelt/suspension seat replacement. Some vehicles require engineering and cab modification, so you should see a reputable seat supplier and have them inspect the vehicle to ensure structural integrity of the cabin is maintained.
2. Airbags. Analysis of the actual crash sequence in 94 real-life crashes has shown that airbags reduce injuries in frontal collisions. The use of a seatbelt/airbag combination is the most effective protection a driver can have.
3. Cabin strength. For maximum safety the cabin should be made of high-strength materials and reinforced at both the doors and the front. In a collision, energy is transferred backwards through the cab, creating a survival space. The cab mountings can be design to yield to a certain extent, enabling the cab to be pushed backwards, minimising penetration and likely injury. The dashboard, steering column and items of trim at knee height should all be energy absorbent and upholstery fabrics made of flameproof materials. Look for cabs with ECE29 Cab Strength standard - or better.
4. Front underrun protection (FUP). Lessen the effects of impact. FUP is a structure at the front of the truck that prevents cars from becoming trapped underneath in the event of a collision. It also ensures that the safety features of a passenger car are activated and prevents damage to the truck’s steering by distributing the crash forces evenly.
5. Side and rear underrun protection. In crashes involving other road users, side and rear underrun protection helps prevent serious injuries. Research shows that 40% of protected road users are killed as a result of impact with the side of a truck.

For a full copy of the guide, including health and safety checklists, questions you should ask yourself when purchasing a heavy vehicle and information on Roadworthy Certificates, visit the Victorian Transport Industry Group site.

Image credit: ©Martin Malchev/Dollar Photo Club