‘It will be safer for all’: CVSA video portrays future of CMV safety

Greenbelt, MD — The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance peers into the future of commercial motor vehicle safety technology, inspections and enforcement in a recently released video, presenting a vision of numerous applications and advancements intended to steer the industry toward a longtime goal: reducing roadway incidents and fatalities.

“Crashes happen every day because some commercial vehicles are in poor mechanical condition, have improperly secured cargo or because of unsafe driver behavior,” the video states. “Thousands of enforcement officials work hard, but still, only a fraction of trucks on the road are being inspected every year. Imagine how many lives could be saved if there was a way to constantly monitor them and their drivers and take the bad ones off the road. Well, there will be if we embrace modern technology.”

The video uses stop-motion animation to display various advancements CVSA believes could “revolutionize” roadside enforcement, monitoring and inspections while “drastically improving roadway safety,” according to a Sept. 22 press release. Technologies include:

• Vehicle-to-everything applications, including vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, vehicle-to-pedestrian and vehicle-to-enforcement technologies. “By connecting to the wireless network, the vehicles and the infrastructure will be able to communicate with each other all at the same time,” the video states.
• Driver alerts regarding inclement weather, crashes, closed roadways, bridge height restrictions, construction, road conditions and more.
• Lane centering, lane keeping, automatic emergency braking and controlled driver steering.
• Vehicle, driver and pedestrian monitoring technologies with cameras, sensors, and radars inside and outside the vehicle.
• Vehicles equipped with automatic driving systems. “Eventually, trucks will be able to drive themselves,” the video states.

In addition, CVSA envisions a reality in which inspectors connected to the aforementioned wireless network remotely complete an electronic inspection by using universal electronic identification for a CMV and its operator, as well as technology that evaluates the mechanical condition and vehicle maintenance in real time. Inspectors would only need to stop vehicles that require closer evaluation, according to the video.

“When commercial vehicles and drivers are operating safely, traffic runs smoother and more effectively,” the video states. “Roadside enforcement and inspections will be more efficient. It will be safer for all road users. It is good for everyone. Really good, actually.”