Winding roads, rolling hills, fields and woods for miles in every direction: Siloam, North Carolina, is the home of Hardy Brothers Inc., whose fleet serves both coasts of the continental U.S. from these quiet surroundings.
“Since 1965, we’ve been hauling dry goods out West, and bringing fresh produce back East,” said Vice President Ryan Hardy. “Usually two days out, and two days back – with a focus on professionalism and safety every mile of every day.”
Hardy Brothers supports that safety emphasis with brakes and active safety technologies from Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, including Bendix’s flagship driver assistance system, Bendix® Wingman® FusionTM, BendixTM BlindSpotter® Side Object Detection System, and Bendix® ADB22X® air disc brakes. The company also utilizes SafetyDirect® by Bendix CVS, a back-office safety solution from the North American leader in the development and manufacture of active safety, air management, and braking solutions for commercial vehicles.
Hardy Brothers’ roots go further back than the company itself to Ryan’s grandfather Ralph Hardy, who purchased a 1948 International® for delivering lime to area farms. The operation expanded to dump trucks, then to providing produce on the East Coast, and eventually culminating in the current business model when Hardy Brothers was established 54 years ago. Today, Hardy Brothers employs 100 drivers, 25 shop and office workers, and runs a 53-tractor fleet of Kenworth T680s and 115 trailers. Over the last six years, the fleet has adopted Bendix air disc brakes on all axles, and has begun adding Bendix® Wingman® FusionTM, which it currently equips on 20 trucks, along with BendixTM BlindSpotter® Side Object Detection System.
“We’ve always invested heavily in safety technology, training, and equipment, whether it’s for our employees in the shop and office, or for our drivers on the road,” Ryan Hardy said. “It’s always been a company-wide top priority, so we spec for safety, offer safety bonuses for our technicians and drivers, and hold quarterly safety training sessions for both.”
Earlier this year, Hardy Brothers was honoured with the FS Insurance, Ltd. Safety Achievement Award – one reflection of its efforts. Another indicator, Hardy said, can be found in the impact safety technologies have had on the road.
“Even though we train our drivers to be safe, courteous, and professional, we’re all human; and we also can’t control everyone and everything else on the highways,” Hardy said. “It only takes a split second for an accident to occur, and with Wingman, the system has our backs and helps to keep everybody safe.”
Bendix Wingman Fusion gathers input through radar, video, and the vehicle’s braking system, combining and cross-checking the information from sensors that are working together. By creating a detailed and accurate data picture, Fusion delivers enhanced rear-end collision mitigation and adaptive cruise control, along with following distance alerts, stationary object alerts, lane departure warning, alerts when speeding, and braking on stationary vehicles – all while prioritizing alerts to help reduce driver distraction. Event-based data – including video – can be wirelessly transmitted for driver coaching and analysis by fleet safety personnel.
Fusion also helps drivers avoid some additional crash situations, including rollovers, loss- of-control, and sideswipe crashes, since it is built on the foundational technology of the Bendix® ESP® Electronic Stability Program full-stability technology.
The forward-facing camera of Wingman Fusion is powered by the Mobileye® System-on- Chip EyeQ® processor with state-of-the-art vision algorithms.
“If Bendix® Wingman® FusionTM has prevented one collision in our fleet, it has paid for itself,” Hardy said, “and a couple of our drivers have told us that it has engaged and likely prevented some rear-end incidents. You can’t argue better than that for investing in safety.”
Hardy Brothers complements Wingman Fusion with SafetyDirect® by Bendix CVS, its video-based driver safety platform featuring a user-friendly web portal that provides fleet operators with comprehensive feedback on their fleet and drivers, along with videos of severe events. The system wirelessly transmits real-time data and event-based information from a vehicle’s J1939 network to the fleet’s back office for analysis. In March, Bendix introduced the powerful new fifth generation of the processor platform.
The fleet also specs BendixTM BlindSpotter® – a side-radar system designed to alert drivers to vehicles or objects in adjacent lanes to help drivers mitigate sideswipe crashes. BlindSpotter operates independently of the Wingman Fusion system.
At its wheel-ends, the fleet equips Bendix® ADB22X® air disc brakes with the Bendix® Splined Disc® rotor. Drum brakes can fade during heavy stop-and-go traffic situations or during mountain descents, and can extend stopping distances as they heat up. Air disc brakes, on the other hand, virtually eliminate brake fade, provide shorter stopping distances, and deliver greater reliability with more consistent stops. They also prove their worth in the shop through longer friction life and quicker pad changes than drum brakes.
“It’s been well worth the upcharge to get the air disc brakes because of the duration we can run these pads and the time between maintenance intervals,” said Justin Lewis, Hardy Brothers’ maintenance director. “It’s phenomenal – a no-brainer, really. The air disc brakes are a huge time saver, in addition to the performance advantages, which make even more sense in support of our investment in the advanced safety systems.”
“We’ve partnered with Bendix for a long time – even before air disc brakes – and have always been impressed with their quality,” Lewis said. “Downtime is costly to any company, and with Bendix, we never really have to worry about it. And beyond their components, we’ve gotten great service and support and training – both online and in person.”
Lance Hansen, Bendix North America regional vice president – fleet/trailer sales and service engineering, said while Hardy Brothers may be based in a quiet and remote area, the fleet sends a loud and clear message of safety that’s recognized and respected industrywide.
“Their whole team is incredibly professional and completely dedicated to safety, people, and the transportation industry, and it’s inspiring to work with them to develop safer commercial vehicles and enhance the safety of the roads we all share,” Hansen said. “They do far more than talk a good game: Every day, they’re taking steps to make things better, and that makes them the kind of partner we value the most as we shape tomorrow’s transportation together.”
Bendix emphasizes that no technology can replace a safe, alert, professional driver practicing safe driving habits, supported by proactive, ongoing driver training. Active safety systems are not intended to enable or encourage aggressive driving, and responsibility for safe vehicle operation remains with the driver at all times.
For nearly 90 years, Bendix has aimed to lower the total cost of commercial vehicle ownership, and strengthen return on investment in technologies that make travel safer for all who share the road. The company delivers on safety, vehicle performance, and efficiency – areas critical to the success of fleets and owner-operators – through an ever-growing portfolio of technology developments, along with unparalleled post-sales support.
Source: Bendix
