Technology is accelerating the world of transportation.  Alphabet, IBM, Intel, Amazon (almost every tech company with means) are racing towards the holy grail of autonomous vehicles.  Active safety, efficiency, and connectivity are now the norm rather than the exception.    

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Commercial transportation is white hot and the differentiators aren't just fuel economy, capacity or longevity.  Safety sells.  Lytx combined a dash camera with an accelerometer and cellular connection and created a multi billion dollar monitoring and reporting industry. 

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OEMs such as Bendix, Meritor, and Detroit are integrating advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) into trucks and providing online portals to monitor, report, and train drivers.  Artificial intelligence is making an appearance in the Driveri system by Netradyne, while traditional logging and asset tracking systems like Omnitracs and Peoplenet are adding cameras.

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Technology is hitting the market so quickly, that customers and insurers are struggling to stay informed of the abilities (and the limitations) of these devices.   We have concluded that some transportation technology suppliers (possibly fearing legal repercussions) are careful not to say too much about the capabilities or limitations of their systems.

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Early radar-based driver assistance systems (Bendix Wingman, Meritor On Guard for example) function well when monitoring vehicles in motion.  A stationary vehicle (one that is motionless for the entirely of the time that it is visible to the radar) or a non metallic object such as a pedestrian may not be detected.  This type of behavior was observed during a road test of a 2019 International LT equipped with a Meritor On Guard system.   

 

Marketing documents for more recent radar systems (Meritor On Guard Active for example) indicate that software updating has enabled stationary vehicle detection.  Bendix indicates that the fusion of radar and camera systems allow for lane monitoring,  earlier warnings of hazards and a higher degree of active braking intervention.  The performance and efficacy of ADAS is situationally dependent while the capabilities of ADAS technology are currently evolving. 

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Accident Reconstruction

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In cab technology can provide significant data streams for risk analysis and accident reconstruction.  However, there's no road map for locating, retaining, and analyzing the data.   In Cab Technology LLC is developing tools and techniques in partnership with Accident Research Specialists PLLC to leverage data streams into effective accident reconstruction analyses.  

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These observations and opinions regarding in cab technology and how to leverage the data to understand the causation of an accident are based on our research and testing to date.    The technical information contained herein is provided free of charge.  While In Cab Technology  LLC (ICT) makes every effort to present accurate and reliable information on this site, ICT does not endorse, approve, or certify such information, nor does it guarantee it's accuracy, completeness, efficiency, timeliness, or correct sequencing of such information.   Use of such information is voluntary, and reliance on it should only be undertaken after an independent review of its accuracy, completeness, efficiency, and timeliness.  Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, service mark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by ICT.