Bendix launched the 2019 season – the 14th consecutive year – of its popular regional ride-and-drive demos March 12 to 14 at Houston Motorsports Park, in Houston.
Bendix will follow with nine other regional demonstrations – part of a larger overall demo agenda – at locations throughout the United States and Canada into November, while also delivering a slate of customer-specific “at your door” demos. The 10 regional demos provide OEM-specific sessions, and any fleets and dealers in the demo area are welcome, as well as drivers and driver trainers. At these events, participants experience advanced technologies in action – in real-world scenarios that drivers encounter daily.
“Nothing equals these in-person demos for delivering impact and understanding,” said Fred Andersky, Bendix manager of marketing demonstrations and customer interactions. “Literature, videos, and talking to salespeople all have value in conveying the technology, but until you’re actually in the seat of a truck cab, you can’t truly appreciate the power and performance that these technologies can deliver – or their limitations.”
As part of its long-standing commitment to help the industry understand new technologies and support driver training initiatives, Bendix has been refining the demo experience for the last decade. Since 2014, the busy Bendix demo team – which travels nearly every week to destinations around the U.S. and Canada – has conducted close to 400 demos for almost 7,000 participants. In 2018 alone, the team hosted 83 events, in 16 states and three provinces in Canada, for in excess of 1,300 participants. These also included demos developed specifically as an information resource for groups that support or regulate the trucking industry.
“Bendix demos are designed to offer value on a number of levels. They help fleet managers and owner-operators determine if technologies being considered for purchase are right for their operations,” Andersky said. “Then, once new technologies are added, the demos help the customer get the most out of their safety technology investment by training the fleet’s drivers – and driver trainers – on the systems, a critical step that is too often overlooked.”
