HOUSTON, Texas — Private fleet Air Liquide says it made safety a priority when spec’ing new additions to its delivery fleet, including 133 trucks that will be delivered through the end of 2011.

The new Air Liquide trucks will come with: DriveCam video event recorders which monitor driver behaviour and help identify risky drivers; Meritor Wabco’s OnGuard collision safety system, which uses forward-looking radar technology to monitor following distances and apply the brakes when needed; and the Iteris AutoVue lane departure warning system, which sounds an alarm when the driver strays from the proper lane or fails to signal lane changes.

The trucks are also equipped with Meritor’s roll stability system and anti-lock braking system, which together should help prevent rollovers, the company announced.

“We are very excited to add these new trucks to our fleet,” said Steve Bellis, vice-president, supply chain with Air Liquide. “This major investment reflects Air Liquide’s dedication to safety and reinforces our commitment to our drivers and the communities we serve. We will continue to maintain high safety standards and look forward to this new technology contributing to our safety goal of zero accidents and injuries.”

The company also noted its drivers are required to attend “safety boot camp,” and are offered fatigue management training that includes their families. The fleet also hosts an annual driving competition, which celebrates the skills of the company’s drivers.