Wabco Holdings Inc., a leading global supplier of technologies that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles, will showcase its latest technologies at the TMC 2018 Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition. The industry event takes place from March 5-8 in Atlanta.
Following the major acquisitions of R. H. Sheppard Co. Inc., a key supplier of industry-leading steering technologies for commercial vehicles, and 100 percent of the Meritor Wabco joint venture, Wabco will feature for the first time its newly expanded, industry-leading product portfolio at TMC. Wabco technologies mobilize vehicle intelligence and help lower fuel consumption, emissions, and operational costs of commercial vehicle fleets.
“We are proud to present at TMC an array of innovative solutions that improve the safety, efficiency, and connectivity of commercial vehicles in the U.S. and around the world,” said Jon Morrison, Wabco President, Americas. “ Wabco has significantly increased its commitment to serving commercial vehicle manufacturers and fleet operators in the region by offering an unprecedented breadth of Wabco technologies, localizing air disc brake production right here in the U.S., and rapidly growing our fleet and aftermarket service organizations.”
Wabco will showcase several of its key enabling technologies and functionalities that represent intermediary milestones toward the commercial vehicle industry’s vision of autonomous driving. Key enabling technologies to be featured include:
- Wabco's suite of pioneering advanced driver assistance systems, including its breakthrough OnGuardACTIVE collision mitigation system. Ensuring top performance in low visibility conditions, OnGuardACTIVE alerts a driver to potentially critical driving situations via acoustic, visual and haptic signals. Should the vehicle operator fail to take corrective action, the system provides active braking on moving, stopping and stationary vehicles to mitigate or prevent impending rear-end collisions.
- Active steering technology – With in-house capabilities gained through the recent acquisition of R.H. Sheppard Co., Inc., Wabco combines active steering with industry-leading braking, stability control and advanced driver assistance systems. Wabco’s advanced active steering technology enables full dynamic vehicle control – both lateral and longitudinal – built on mature technology already proven in commercial vehicle industry. Wabco active steering solution features a compact design, low weight, reduced power consumption and easy maintenance.
- Air Disc Brakes – The lightest and highest performing single-piston air disc brakes (ADBs) for commercial vehicles, Wabco’s MAXXUS heavy duty ADB for trucks and MAXX22T for trailers offer shorter stopping distances and easier, faster maintenance than conventional drum brakes. With 25 percent fewer parts compared to other ADBs available in the market today, Wabco ADBs feature superior reliability, faster serviceability and expanded service intervals of up to twice that of traditional drum brakes.
- Next-generation Trailer Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) – Wabco’s new Trailer ABS is the first generation braking system in North America to enable up to 20 optional key trailer functions of the company’s Intelligent Trailer Program, including traction control, axle load and tire pressure monitoring. The system helps collect and process a wide range of actionable trailer vehicle data by trailer manufacturers and fleet operators. Thereby, Wabco's Intelligent Trailer Program helps fleets lower transportation costs and fuel consumption while increasing driver safety and comfort.
In addition, Wabco will also showcase its award-winning OptiFlow aerodynamic technologies. Recently recognized by Heavy Duty Trucking magazine as one of the Top 20 Products for 2018, Wabco's OptiFlow AutoTail is the first and only aerodynamic tail in the U.S. to feature automatic deployment and retraction. The device deploys and retracts tail panels based on driving speed as determined by sensors linked to Wabco's Trailer Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS). It delivers fuel savings of up to 4.3 percent at highway speeds, based on SmartWay test protocol, and reduces CO2 emissions by up to 4.0 tons per trailer per year. In addition, Wabco's OptiFlow TrailerSkirt, a lightweight aerodynamic side skirt for trailers, can provide up to 5.0 percent fuel savings at U.S. highway speeds.
