How legislation, independent safety bodies, and pioneering truck makers are each driving change in our industry.
By Geoff Rigg
In today鈥檚 more safety conscious society, it鈥� would be unthinkable to suggest the introduction of fully laden 57,000 lb. trucks to operate in residential areas, parks, schools, and pedestrian zone city centers. Yet day in, day out, thousands of such trucks are out there serving customers.
Being in control of such a truck places enormous responsibility on the operators to be aware of their surroundings and to be mindful of pedestrians, parked cars, and cyclists. All this, in all weather, and at all times of the day and night whilst also supporting your crews collecting the unending line of trash cans.
Training has a role to play, and city planners do what they can to create safer urban environments, but it is not enough to stop unnecessary accidents from happening. Pressure is mounting from cities and safety bodies for the truck maker to also step up and develop safer vehicles to reduce the burden on drivers and cut the number of accidents.
Photos courtesy of Dennis Eagle.
Europe Leads the Way
There is ample evidence that drivers who can see better from their cabs, are less likely to injure or kill pedestrians and bicyclists. Yet to date, the U.S. has arguably been a step behind the efforts of both truck manufacturers and even European cities in rolling out legislation in encouraging the uptake of improved visibility.
In London, UK, the Direct Vision Standard (DVS) is a key part of its Mayor鈥檚 Vision Zero plan to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on its transport network by 2041. In this historical city, heavy trucks and buses have been disproportionately involved in more fatal collisions with vulnerable road users than other motor vehicles. This led to the enforcement of DVS in October 2021. In waste trucks, the DVS measures how much a driver can see directly through their cab windows.
So-called 鈥楧irect Vision鈥� cabs reduce or eliminate driver blind zones, defined as when a driver has an obstructed view of the road and other vulnerable road users around them. DVS test results are expressed as a star rating from zero (limited) to five (good) direct vision. Cities such as London are not standing still; from October this year, all commercial vehicles over 12 (metric) tons will need to achieve at least a three star rating or install the Progressive Safe System, effectively a retrofit Blind Spot and Moving Off Information camera to be able to operate in the city.
TSR Drives change in the U.S.
The U.S. is, however, catching up fast, thanks in no small part to the leading efforts of Together for Safer Roads (TSR). This non-governmental organization has dedicated itself to advancing road safety through research, collaboration, and innovation. Currently, many of the garbage trucks available in the U.S. do not provide direct vision, despite worrying estimates supplied by TSR. A a quarter of the more than 500 pedestrian and cyclist deaths each year involve large trucks traveling at low speeds. These could be prevented by direct vision cabs.
These staggering statistics are driving TSR and the U.S. Department for Transportation鈥檚 Volpe Center, to share data and analysis around the benefits of direct vision cabs with government rule makers, truck manufacturers, fleet managers, and drivers. Using technology such as the VIEW app, fleet operators or truck OEMs will be capable of quantifying the visibility problems of trucks and demonstrating the difference between high vision and low vision trucks. Now it is initiating the self-certification process to demonstrate truck safety via Direct Vision measuring kits, driving the industry to adopt best practice for its standards. The kits enable fleet operators to obtain self-certification through a series of quick and easy tests around the vehicle. Once the measurements are inputted, a check chart enables the operator to determine a result for any given truck and driver.
Seeing the Benefits
With London now dictating what trucks can operate in its city, OEMs there are having to consider Direct Vision as part of their designs. Crucially this means including as many features as possible into the core design rather than relying on retrofit solutions to meet requirements. Vehicle designers need to consider how they can enable drivers to see as much of the road as possible from the outset. That means a large glass house and slim pillars to offer good, all around vision. Seating the driver lower in the cab can also contribute to improving visibility and general safety. Seated lower, they are closer to eye-level with other road users. This can encourage direct eye contact, which helps them understand better what other pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers are intending to do. Other thoughtful touches include improving ambient lighting and the general ergonomics of the cab to minimize distractions and make operating a truck more intuitive and less stressful.
Operators have found that improving safety offers further benefits. As well as the key and overriding benefit of fewer accidents, it can also ease the burden on insurance claims, fewer repairs with the scheduling challenges this can pose as well as the cost of replacement parts. It is no wonder forward-looking operators in Europe and the U.S. are putting safety at the top of their lists when it comes to choosing their next vehicle. | WA
Geoff Rigg is President of Dennis Eagle Inc. With more than 30 years of experience in the specialist vehicle sector, Geoff has established a name for himself as a respected business leader. His journey began as an Apprentice Engineer at Dennis Eagle, which provided a strong foundation of practical knowledge. Throughout his career, he has developed a deep understanding of the industry and established strong connections across the waste management sector within Europe and the U.S. As President, charged with the responsibility of building the Dennis Eagle Inc. brand and market share across North America and Canada, Geoff is proud of the latest ProView product the company offers out to the market, which again delivers safety from every angle. This is also a low-entry, high-visibility vehicle, linking back to the original Elite vehicles first designed by Dennis Eagle. He can be reached at (843) 809-3828 or e-mail [email protected].