XTL Transport is the latest major North American carrier to reinforce its commitment to safety by choosing advanced technologies from Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC.
On a recent order of 100 International® ProStar® tractors, XTL spec’d 80 units with Bendix’s comprehensive collision mitigation system, Wingman® Fusion(TM), as well as with the Bendix® ESP® Electronic Stability Program full-stability system and the Bendix CVS web portal, SafetyDirect®. XTL also equipped all 100 tractors with Bendix® ADB22XTM air disc brakes on all axles. Since model year 2014, XTL has spec’d the Bendix ADB22X fleetwide. Most of the 100 vehicles are operating now, with all expected to be on the road by fall.
In business for 30 years, XTL is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, and includes five terminals spread across Canada. Running throughout Canada and the East Coast of the United States, XTL specializes in hauling commercial goods, pharmaceuticals, and paper. Its fleet includes upwards of 350 company-owned power units and more than 1,200 trailers of various types.
“Safety has been a core commitment at XTL since our business was founded, and installing state-of-the-art technology is a key part of our safety strategy,”said Jason Wood, XTL director of fleet maintenance. “Bendix technologies meet our strict requirements for proven systems that help make our vehicles and drivers safer while offering a return on investment. The technologies help our skilled team of professional drivers to reduce fatigue and better focus on what’s happening on the road in front of them – and provide what we think of as a guardian angel behind them.”
COMPREHENSIVE COLLISION MITIGATION
“Our number one cause of accidents at XTL is rear-end collisions,” Wood said. “We studied Wingman® FusionTM and evaluated the cost to install it versus the cost of just one major accident, and we determined it would pay for itself. This is the industry’s only system where the camera and radar talk to each other, and we wanted that unique safety advantage for our drivers.”
Bendix Wingman Fusion integrates and advances a proven, road-tested suite of Bendix safety technologies – radar, camera, and the vehicle’s brake system – into a comprehensive driver assistance system. Unlike radar-only systems, Wingman Fusion combines and cross- checks information from multiple sources to deliver enhanced rear-end collision mitigation, alerts when speeding, and braking on stationary vehicles. Bendix Wingman Fusion also helps drivers avoid additional crash situations, including rollovers, loss-of-control, and sideswipe crashes, while prioritizing alerts to help reduce driver distraction.
With video, radar, and other sensors working together, and not just in parallel, the system realizes events sooner – alerting the driver and decreasing the vehicle’s speed up to twice as much – to help the driver mitigate potential collisions or lessen their severity. It is built on Bendix® ESP® (Electronic Stability Program), which helps drivers mitigate rollover and loss- of-control situations. The Wingman Fusion system camera is powered by the Mobileye System- on-Chip EyeQ processor with state-of-the-art-vision algorithms.
In addition to collision mitigation and reduction of driver fatigue, XTL also chose Wingman Fusion for the proven fuel-efficiency benefits of adaptive cruise control, as well as to attract newer professionals who are technology-driven.
The reception for Wingman Fusion has been positive among XTL’s drivers, according to Wood. One veteran driver, who had been concerned the system would interfere with the way he drives, is now among its biggest proponents after experiencing the technology in action. “I don’t ever want to go back to not having a system,” he told Wood.
XTL also chose Bendix’s user-friendly web portal, SafetyDirect®, for all the vehicles spec’d with Wingman Fusion and Bendix ESP. Linked to onboard safety technologies, the system wirelessly and automatically – via an onboard telematics system – transmits real-time driver performance data and event-based information – including video – to the fleet’s back office for analysis by fleet safety personnel. The resulting reports can help a fleet develop more targeted driver support, reward, and training programs. XTL’s safety department is using SafetyDirect® in part to create driver profiles.
